Coming off Hilton Head toward the mainland, the turn for Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge and the C.C. Haigh Jr. Boat Landing comes up fast, between the Skull Creek and Mackay Creek bridges. You can reach it from either direction of US 278. The first eastbound bridge you cross over Mackay Creek was built in 1956. That bridge is the reason the entrance to the refuge and landing is about to be redesigned.
For years the talk on the island has been about the full US 278 Corridor Improvements Project, the wider, multi-piece plan for the whole gateway. That plan is still officially a priority, but it is on hold because of a funding gap. The project actually moving is much smaller: one new eastbound bridge over Mackay and Skull Creeks, and a rebuilt way in and out of Pinckney Island. For most people who live here, the day-to-day changes are at that entrance and at one neighborhood. Not much else changes.
What cleared in September, and what that clearance means
South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and Beaufort County documented the bridge under a federal environmental review called a Non-Programmatic Categorical Exclusion. The document is dated April 2026, and SCDOT signed it on May 12, 2026. A re-evaluation followed, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) concurred with it on September 16, 2026. That filing says the design and right-of-way had not changed. It was filed to add coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office that the May document had left out, and it lists the project's current stage as right-of-way.
Other work had been going on in the background. A Town of Hilton Head Island release from March 17, 2026 announced barge-based geotechnical drilling in the creeks, with about six weeks of work that depended on weather and tides. According to Citizen Portal's summary of a May 19, 2026 county committee briefing, design was reported at about 60 percent complete, with final design and right-of-way acquisition to follow once federal clearance came through.
Here is how the official record lines up:
- October 30, 2025: public information meeting at the Hilton Head Island Recreation Center on Wilborn Road, with comments accepted through November 15, 2025.
- March 2026: geotechnical drilling from barges in the creeks.
- May 12, 2026: SCDOT signs the environmental document.
- September 16, 2026: FHWA concurs with the re-evaluation.
- Early 2028: construction is anticipated to begin.
That last date is still conditional. The official wording is "anticipated." When WTOC reported on the project in April 2026, the county said construction could start as soon as 2028 even without a federal Large Bridge Grant it was still waiting on. The station also reported that the design could expand if that grant comes through.
The Pinckney Island entrance is where the plan changes the most
The project materials list three changes for the refuge and the landing.
| How it works today | Under the proposed design | |
|---|---|---|
| Turning in and out from US 278 | Reached from either direction | Right-in and right-out only, with no left turns, still reachable from either direction |
| Getting to C.C. Haigh Jr. Boat Landing | Current entrance | A new ramp to the landing |
| Getting to the refuge | Current entrance | A new loop road to the refuge |
| Changing direction | Not applicable | A local access road loops under both bridges to reach the landing and the refuge |
The environmental document describes the same layout. A right-in, right-out interchange would sit close to the existing alignment, and vehicles would pass under the new bridges to reach the refuge, the landing, and US 278 in the other direction. The project team calls the change a response to long-standing community concerns about access to the island.
In practice, nobody would turn left across 278 traffic anymore. A trip that once needed a left turn would loop under the bridges instead. If you tow a boat to C.C. Haigh, coming home would mean a right turn and the loop, with no wait for a gap in oncoming traffic.
The landing at stake is a Beaufort County facility on Mackay Creek at 1640 Fording Island Road Extension. The county lists about 90 parking spaces, a new ramp and courtesy dock, and a fixed pier. The county finished paving and accessibility work on the landing's accessible parking area and reopened it in March 2025.
What the plan says about access during construction
This is what refuge walkers and landing users will want answered, and the official materials answer it only partly. The FAQ says the new eastbound bridge would be built parallel to the existing one. Traffic onto Hilton Head would keep moving through most of construction, and the main disruption would come when crews tie the eastbound lanes into the new bridge.
For the refuge and the landing in particular, the environmental document makes a commitment, not a promise of zero disruption. If construction, including staging or stockpiling materials, forces a partial or full temporary closure of the boat landing or the refuge entrance, the contractor has to coordinate with SCDOT, FHWA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Beaufort County. No staging sites or closure dates have been published.
How long the work lasts depends on which source you read. The project's public meeting page says construction is expected to take about four years. WTOC's April 2026 report put it at about two and a half years. The cost estimates also differ. The April 2026 environmental document lists $257.7 million, and WTOC reported a current plan of about $311 million. Neither source explains the gap. Until the project team publishes a construction schedule, plan on either figure being possible.
Mariner's Cove is the one neighborhood whose route changes
The work area is short. It runs from just past Moss Creek Drive in Bluffton to C Heinrichs Circle by Windmill Harbour, just onto Hilton Head Island. According to the project FAQ, most neighborhoods keep the access they have now:
"Mariners Cove is the only neighborhood that would experience a change in how residents enter or exit their community."
Under the plan, Mariner's Cove traffic would use the existing signal at the base of the bridge near Windmill Harbour, then the Hog Island Connector under US 278. The FAQ admits the new route is less direct and calls it safer and more reliable, especially at busy times. The Hog Island Connector is a local access road and bridge meant to keep Hog Island and Mariner's Cove reachable.
What the new bridge leaves out
The narrower scope also limits what the new bridge will include. The new bridge would carry two lanes toward the island, with full shoulders on both sides. It is built so it could be restriped to three lanes later, or temporarily to two lanes each way if the westbound bridges are replaced or an emergency closes them.
It would not carry bikes or pedestrians. The FAQ says the nearest bike and pedestrian facilities are more than a mile away in each direction, so a path on the new eastbound bridge isn't considered feasible or safe for now. Bike and pedestrian access stays tied to the paused corridor project and a future westbound bridge.
That is also why two other 278 headlines this fall have little to do with this bridge. On September 15, 2026, Town Council unanimously adopted the William Hilton Parkway Gateway Corridor Master Plan. It covers the stretch from the Jenkins Island bridge through the Stoney Historic Neighborhood to Spanish Wells and Wild Horse Road, with 12 concepts estimated at $125.8 million and five near-term priorities totaling $27.6 million. The Town says adopting the plan doesn't authorize construction or commit any funding. Beaufort County's transportation sales tax referendum is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Its published project list includes other US 278 work, such as widening and resurfacing, but not the Mackay and Skull Creek eastbound bridge replacement.
Pinckney Island between now and early 2028
For the next year at least, the refuge works the way it always has. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's visitor page, Pinckney Island is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Cars stop at the parking area, and bicycles, e-bikes included, are allowed past it. The refuge's hiking page counts more than 14 miles of gravel roads and grass trails. The fishing page says saltwater fishing in the surrounding estuarine waters is allowed year-round with a South Carolina saltwater license, and freshwater fishing in the refuge ponds is not. The refuge home page says dogs and other pets aren't allowed anywhere on refuge lands, trails, or beaches.
Under the 2026–27 hunting regulations, the refuge closes to everyone but hunters on hunt days, and this season's one-day deer hunt was October 16, 2026. Separately, the Fish and Wildlife Service set a written comment window of October 20 through November 3, 2026, on a draft compatibility determination for limited, short-term military training on parts of the refuge. The notice did not announce any visitor closure.
For updates on the bridge itself, the project's FAQ page and public meeting materials are the official record. The next detail that matters for anyone who uses the landing or lives in Mariner's Cove is a published construction schedule showing where staging goes.
If you live near the bridges, or you're weighing a home in Windmill Harbour, Mariner's Cove, or nearby on the north end, I can go through what this project means for your trips and your timeline. Michael Sutcliffe is glad to walk you through it. Schedule a Consultation.
