By james art 
Beaufort County, SC (WTOC) -Since 2017, Bofant County and the South Carolina Transport Ministry are working to deal with the growing population of the area and how to expand the 278 highway.
The project has been met with delays, disputes and now limited funding.
The district leaders held a seminar on Wednesday night to talk about decisions.
Drivers say there is no doubt highway 278 in Beopher County needs improvement.
“This can be a nightmare to travel,” a driver said.
And just when district leaders thought they had a solution, they came out at $ 190 million.
Initially, the project for the 278 highway corridor was prepared to eliminate current traffic problems.
The plan requires the expansion of three bridges along the highway to open access as traffic grows in the area.
District Council Chairman Alice Howard says the improvement is not negotiating.
“We still have to replace a bridge that fails … or we could fix it, but it only buys us time … and not a long time,” Howard said.
But project financing is already a major problem.
District leaders say the disadvantage of $ 190 million became apparent in May 2024.
Since then, the county has been trying to compensate for the difference in funding.
Most recently, the district council has tried to accept a 1% sales tax until financing is implemented.
But voters did not approve of the tax increase last November.
So, the region administrator Jared Frallix is now charged, finding a new way to get funding.
“This failed and that is why we are now dealing with this disadvantage .. and we are trying to see if there is any way to find funding from local or district leaders and so far there has been no apatite for it,” said Frallix Frallix.
The county has already been left with 3 options: Find funding to meet this gap, adjust the project to meet the current budget, or reduce the project budget.
Alice Howard, the chairman of the council, says inflation has contributed a major to the difference in funding.
“The 2018 coast is almost … I can’t numb the numbers, but about a double price,” Howard says.
When the project was first proposed, the funding was reported, but it was eight years ago and the needs of the funding changed.
The assistant to the Administrator of the Jared Frallix says from all the options before them that maintenance is tilted towards finding a plan within the budget.
“Find a project we have the money for … which would be approximately $ 300 million,” says Frallix.
A new plan means a new set of agreements and this can return the project to almost a year.
The Beaufort County Council has by March 31 to come up with an action plan to deal with the difference in funding or the Ministry of Transport in South Carolina may terminate its current project agreement.
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