Most of the road construction Lady's Island will see through 2028 is already funded, designed and on a county calendar. It comes from a sales tax voters approved in 2018 and stopped paying years ago. The referendum on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot is a separate program with a separate project list. On the island, that list mostly covers the roads leading in and out, plus repaving the main roads. If you're weighing a house near Sea Island Parkway, the 2018 schedule tells you more about the next two years than the election will.
The work already on the calendar, in order
Beaufort County's published schedule for the Lady's Island Corridor Traffic Improvements shows two projects finished. The first is the right-turn lane where Sam's Point Road meets Sea Island Parkway, built from January to June 2021 for $789,949. The second is Airport Frontage Road Phase 1, a new road from Lost Island Road to Sea Island Parkway, built from December 2022 to July 2024 for $3,061,150.
Here is what comes next, according to the county's project schedule. Every date below is a county target, not a promise:
- Sunset Boulevard and Miller Drive West, Q3 to Q4 2026. Resurfacing and traffic calming. On Sept. 21, 2026, the county's Public Facilities Committee approved a $739,873 contract for this work.
- Lady's Island Middle School access road, Q4 2026 to Q4 2027. A $9.5 million new road from the Sea Island Parkway and Gay Drive intersection to Robin Drive and Katy Circle. Cougar Drive closes at Sea Island Parkway as part of the project.
- US 21 widening near Walmart, Q2 2027 to Q3 2028. About 4,000 feet of eastbound widening, creating four travel lanes through the Airport Frontage Road intersection, budgeted at $9.1 million.
- Hazel Farm Road and Gay Drive streetscaping, Q2 2027 to Q2 2028. A $10.2 million project with design at 70% and right-of-way acquisition starting in the first quarter of 2026.
Three of those four projects sit within a few blocks of the Gay Drive intersection on Sea Island Parkway. Put the Walmart widening on the same map, and the commercial core of the island has a construction zone somewhere from late 2026 into 2028.
Some 2018 projects have no date at all. The US 21 and SC 802 intersection, which would get dual left-turn lanes on Sea Island Parkway, new signals and median work, is listed at 10% design. Its construction start is "To be determined," pending coordination with an SCDOT safety project. Airport Frontage Road Phase 2, which realigns Little Creek Road to Lost Island Road, is slated to go on hold once right-of-way and permitting are done. Three more are already on hold: a new access road to Beaufort High School, the Mayfair Court extension to William Street, and a new Meadowbrook Drive connection to the Tidewatch Professional Complex.
Why the island got fewer projects than voters were promised
The 2018 referendum set aside $30 million for Lady's Island corridor improvements, out of a $120 million cap. Collections beat the estimate. The county's May 2026 financial report shows about $146.55 million in 2018 sales-tax revenue and interest.
Even so, the program ran short. By 2025, County Council acknowledged that inflation and rising construction costs had outpaced the extra revenue, and it redefined and reprioritized the remaining project list to fit the money available. Delayna Earley of The Island News described the gap in one line:
"But collecting the money and completing the projects have happened on very different timelines."
That explains the on-hold list above. It also matters for a buyer reading any project list, including the one on the ballot. The county says it remains committed to finishing most of the remaining 2018 projects by the end of 2028.
What the Nov. 3 ballot lists for Lady's Island
Voters face two questions. The first asks for a 1% sales tax for up to nine years or until $780 million is collected, whichever comes first, starting May 1, 2027 if approved. The second would let the county issue up to $450 million in general obligation bonds, repaid from that tax, so some projects can start before the money builds up. County Council approved the referendum ordinance 8-3 on June 22. Council members David Bartholomew, Paula Brown and Thomas Reitz voted no.
These items from the county's itemized 2026 project list touch the island or its approaches:
| Project | Allocation | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Ribaut Rd and Lady's Island Dr turn lanes | $4,800,000 | Free-flow right-turn lanes eastbound and westbound |
| Lady's Island Dr and Meridian Rd | $8,164,000 | Dual-lane "peanut" roundabout from Islands Causeway to Meridian Road, plus pedestrian facilities |
| US 21 at Chowan Creek | $3,850,000 | Three-lane roadway section near Warsaw Island Road, not a bridge replacement |
| SC 802 at Short's Landing Road | $1,320,000 | New signal on Sam's Point Road, subject to SCDOT approval |
| Sea Island Parkway resurfacing | $11,700,000 | From the Walmart area to the Harbor Island Bridge |
| Sam's Point Road resurfacing | $5,319,300 | From Sea Island Parkway to the roundabout |
| Downtown bridge ITS design and construction | $690,000 | Named in the ordinance as coordinated message boards for Woods Memorial Bridge, not a new bridge |
Compare this table with the 2018 schedule. The 2018 work is concentrated on the island's interior streets. Most of the ballot items are on the roads that carry traffic onto and off the island: the Ribaut Road end of Lady's Island Drive, the stretch near Islands Causeway, the Chowan Creek approach toward St. Helena Island, and the long resurfacing runs of Sea Island Parkway and Sam's Point Road. The list does not include widening US 21 and SC 802 as a corridor. Its widening money goes to SC 170, SC 46, US 278 and the Neil Road intersection.
Even an approved list isn't fixed. The county told The Island News it would keep authority to manage scope and cost as projects move through design and construction. Changes need County Council approval and have to comply with state law. The county also hasn't said which projects the bonds would speed up.
Where the two programs already overlap
Two locations on the ballot list already have county activity this fall. On Sept. 21, 2026, the committee approved a $42,350 change order for a Phase 2 environmental site assessment on the Lady's Island Drive turn lane at Ribaut Road. The county filed that item under its Lady's Island Corridor Improvements. The same meeting approved preliminary engineering for alterations to the Chowan Creek Bridge approaches.
So early study is already underway at both ends of the island, whatever the vote. If voters reject the tax, the county says it would pursue projects through grants, SCDOT funding, municipal money and public-private partnerships. Projects on state-maintained roads would stay SCDOT's responsibility. The bond question can't serve as a backup, because the debt is tied to the sales-tax revenue.
Questions to ask about a specific address
For a home near Gay Drive, Hazel Farm Road, Cougar Drive or the Walmart stretch of US 21, the funded schedule raises practical questions to settle before you write an offer:
- Right-of-way status. At a March 16, 2026 update, county staff said right-of-way acquisition had begun on Hazel Farm Road and Gay Drive, and the middle school access road was still in acquisition while permits and final plans were finished. Ask whether a parcel you're considering borders either project.
- Daily routing. The county schedule closes Cougar Drive at Sea Island Parkway and builds a new road from the Sea Island Parkway and Gay Drive intersection to Robin Drive and Katy Circle. If your daily route uses the Cougar Drive turn, ask how it will change.
- Overlapping work zones. The Walmart widening and the Hazel Farm and Gay Drive streetscape are both scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2027 and run into 2028.
- Status of the main intersection. The US 21 and SC 802 intersection still has no construction date on the 2018 schedule, and the ballot doesn't add a corridor widening there.
FAQ
If the referendum passes, when would ballot projects start? Tax collection would begin May 1, 2027. The bonds could move some projects ahead of collections, but the county hasn't named which ones.
Does a "no" vote stop the Gay Drive and middle school projects? No. Those are 2018 projects, and the 2018 program is legally separate from the 2026 proposal.
Who would watch the spending if it passes? The county plans to form a volunteer citizen oversight committee, with members from the municipalities and unincorporated Beaufort County, to monitor projects, schedules and spending.
If you're comparing Lady's Island homes and want to know which construction windows affect a particular street, J.P. Signature Group can check the address against the county's published schedules with you before you make an offer. Contact Us, and we'll start with the parcel you have in mind.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
