31,800 use Ribaut Road daily. Have ideas on making it safer? Here’s your chance to be heard

Planning for a $140 million project to revamp 5.5 miles of Ribaut Road — used by tens of thousands of commuters daily in Port Royal and Beaufort — has begun, and residents are being asked for their ideas.

Transforming the automobile-dominated corridor, a dangerous stretch for pedestrians and bicyclists, into a “complete street” for all users that’s safer and looks better, is the goal, says Brittanee Bishop, Beaufort County’s transportation program manager.

The work, she adds, “will affect a lot of people.”

The project will be four times the length and cost of the 1.5-mile, $33 million redevelopment of Boundary Street in Beaufort and cross multiple jurisdictions, affecting traffic across northern Beaufort County.

Beaufort County, which is partnering with Beaufort and Port Royal in the planning effort, is calling the ambitious project “Reimagine Ribaut Road.”

It will be looking for input from the public at a meeting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at Technical College of the Lowcountry, 921 Ribaut Road. It’s the first public meeting on what will take years to get from blueprints to construction.

“We’re not just trying to throw these improvements down their throat,” Bishop said. “We know it is unsafe, but we’re a working partner.”

Average daily travel count is 31,800 vehicles on the proposed 5.5-mile mixed-use corridor from Boundary Street in Beaufort to the Russell Bell Bridge in Port Royal, which includes Beaufort Memorial Hospital, the Technical College of the Lowcountry, the U.S. Naval Hospital, apartment complexes, single-family homes, convenience stores and restaurants.

Ribaut, a primary evacuation and truck route, connects Beaufort and Port Royal, but traffic headaches and safety issues have accompanied population growth. Daily, Ribaut becomes clogged during morning and evening rush hour with motorists using it not only to travel between Beaufort and Port Royal but also to reach Parris Island Gateway on their way to Bluffton and Hilton Head Island and Lady’s Island Drive en route to the Sea Islands.

The posted speed limit is 40 mph but speeds are often higher making it dangerous to cross for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Van Willis, the Port Royal town manager, says Ribaut Road has developed into a high-speed corridor for motorists.

“What we’re not interested in seeing,” Willis said, “is a continuation of what’s going on.”

The town would like to see lower speed limits and more pedestrian-friendly features. As it stands, Ribaut divides one part of Port Royal from the other, Willis said. And the road is “truly unsafe” for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross, Willis said, even at traffic signals.

Improvements to the intersection of Lady’s Island Drive and Ribaut Road, which funnels motorists across the McTeer Bridge to the Sea Islands, also are integral to the project, Willis said. Currently, larger trucks that can’t get across the Woods Memorial Bridge in Beaufort are diverted to the Bell Bridge, which only adds to traffic congestion, he said.

“We’re doing as many cars as Boundary Street if not more,” Willis said, referring to the busy street in Beaufort that was rebuilt for $33 million, with the work finishing up in 2018.

Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing, building, operating and maintaining streets that enables safe access for all people including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders, Bishop says.

“We want to make it more accessible for all users and increase safety for all users,” Bishop says.

The sidewalks along Ribaut are narrow and located right at the edge of the curb, Bishop noted. Bringing sidewalks off the curb and making grass buffers are options that will be considered, along with medians. “We really just want to hear what the public wants,” Bishop said.

Another goal is improving the aesthetics. Streetlights and possibly burying overhead utilities will be looked at.

“We want to make sure we make it a beautiful improvement and bring a sense of place to the community,” Bishop said.

Beaufort County, Bishop said, is anticipating putting a transportation sales tax plan to improve roads before voters in 2024 that would include funding for the project.

“With it being $140 million, the county would need some funding source in place to make this project happen,” Bishop said.

It will take multiple funding sources to get the project through to construction, she said.

Beaufort County has hired Stantec Consulting Services Inc. for $270,000 to conduct master planning.

The planning process will take six months while the design will take two years. It’s possible construction could begin in late 2025 or early 2026. But the work will depend on funding, Bishop added.

Thursday’s meeting will be one of several that will be conducted, Bishop said.

In addition to the meeting, the county has come up with an online survey at www.reimagineribautroad.com with an interactive map where residents can provide comments.

The long-term look at the major transportation corridor for Port Royal, Beaufort and Beaufort County could take a decade to complete, Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray said.

Murray has has no preconceived notions on what the project should entail, but whatever comes out of the planning, he wants Ribaut to have greater pedestrian access and safety, which has been a problem as long as he can remember.

“We were strictly forbidden by Mom to ride bikes on or across Ribaut Road,” said Murray, who grew up in the Mossy Oaks neighborhood.

Now is the time for residents to speak up, Murray said, either at the meeting or through the online survey.