Celadon Square has frontage on Sam's Point Road, so anyone heading out of the neighborhood is likely on SC 802 within a minute or two. On November 3, Beaufort County voters decide whether to approve a new one-cent transportation sales tax. Three items in the proposed package are on Sam's Point Road, and two more are on Lady's Island Drive. None of the package's widening projects is on Lady's Island. The biggest change planned for the Sea Island Parkway end of Sam's Point Road isn't on this ballot at all. It was funded by the 2018 penny, and design is about 10% complete.
On Sam's Point Road itself, the new package would pay for repaving, a signal and a roundabout upgrade. The bigger project at the Sea Island Parkway end belongs to a tax that has already stopped collecting.
What the Package Is
The proposal is a 1% sales and use tax for transportation. It would run for up to nine years or until $780 million is collected, whichever comes first. According to the county's referendum page, the combined county sales tax rate would go from 6% to 7%. The $780 million breaks down like this: $326 million for safety and intersections, $205 million for widening, and $249 million for resurfacing and paving dirt roads.
The ballot carries two questions. Question 1 is the tax itself. Question 2 would let the county issue up to $450 million in general obligation bonds, repaid from the tax, so projects can be built sooner. WTOC reports that collections would start May 1, 2027 and end on or before April 30, 2036. The county's own FAQ mentions a "stated sunset date of 2034," and the two published dates haven't been reconciled.
All four widening projects in the package are elsewhere in the county, on SC 170, SC 46, US 278 and at Neil Road. On Lady's Island, the money goes to pavement, signals and roundabouts.
Sam's Point Road and Lady's Island Drive, Item by Item
These are the line items on the routes closest to Celadon, with the allocations and descriptions from the county's project list.
| Ballot item | Allocation | What the county list describes |
|---|---|---|
| Sams Point Road (SC 802) resurfacing | $5,319,300 | Repaving from Sea Island Parkway "to the roundabout" |
| Short's Landing Signal | $1,320,000 | New signal at Shorts Landing Road and Sams Point Road, if SCDOT approves |
| Middle Rd/SC 802 Roundabout Improvements | $1,860,000 | Improvements at Middle Road and SC 802, as shown in the 2024 LCOG Safety Action Plan |
| Lady's Island Dr/Meridian Rd Improvements | $8,164,000 | Dual-lane "peanut" roundabout from Islands Causeway to Meridian Road |
| Ribaut Rd/Lady's Island Dr Turn Lane Construction | $4,800,000 | Free-flow right turn lanes eastbound and westbound |
| Sea Island Parkway (US 21) resurfacing | $11,700,000 | Repaving from the Lady's Island Walmart area to the Harbor Island Bridge |
The repaving entry doesn't say which roundabout is "the roundabout." The only roundabout on SC 802 named anywhere in the package is the one at Middle Road, so that's the most likely endpoint. The county documents don't link the two entries, though. The Middle Road work comes from the regional safety plan that the Lowcountry Council of Governments finished and adopted in October 2024.
The Short's Landing signal is the only item on Sam's Point Road that's conditional. The full description reads:
"Addition of traffic signal at intersection of Shorts Landing Road and Sams Point Road as depicted in Stantec Shorts Landing Road Concept, if approved by SCDOT."
Sam's Point Road is a state highway, so a yes vote would set the money aside, but the signal still needs the state's approval. None of the published project material gives a reason for picking that particular intersection.
On Lady's Island Drive, the Meridian Road item is the biggest Lady's Island entry in the package. Two stop-controlled T-intersections would be realigned into one dual-lane roundabout about 500 feet long. The project also covers widening for the new lane layout and "new pedestrian facilities on the southbound approach."
The Sea Island Parkway End Is Still a 2018 Project
Where Sam's Point Road meets Sea Island Parkway and Lady's Island Drive, the new ballot pays only for repaving. The heavier work at that junction was promised by the 2018 penny. That tax was 1% for up to four years or until $120 million was collected. It set aside $30 million for Lady's Island corridor improvements and $10 million for sidewalks and multi-use paths.
The county's 2026 project schedule shows where each of those Sam's Point Road commitments stands:
- Sam's Point right turn lane at SC 802 and Sea Island Parkway. Finished. Construction was scheduled for January through June 2021, and the county lists the project cost as $789,949.
- US 21 and SC 802 intersection improvements. Design is 10% complete, the work is being coordinated with an SCDOT safety project, and no construction timing has been set. The scope includes restriping, signal upgrades, dual left turn lanes on Sea Island Parkway, resurfacing and median work.
The second project is the one that would change how traffic moves through the busiest intersection on Celadon's corridor. In June 2025, the Island Packet listed a broader $44 million capacity and access-management project for this corridor at 60% design, with right-of-way acquisition and construction on hold. According to the county's 2018 project page, Resolution 2025/46 later split that mainline work into two projects. One of them is the US 21/SC 802 intersection now listed at 10%, so the two percentages describe different scopes. The 2018 collections have ended, but the funded work is still going. The Island News reports the county is aiming to finish most of it by the end of 2028.
Taken together, a yes vote in November would repave the stretch of Sam's Point Road between Sea Island Parkway and the roundabout. The lane and signal changes at the Sea Island Parkway end still depend on the 2018 program and SCDOT.
The Walking and Biking Pieces
The same split shows up for people on foot or on bikes. The 2018 program planned a 10-foot multi-use path on Meridian Road from Lady's Island Drive to Sea Island Parkway, along with a crosswalk on Lady's Island Drive. According to the county's 2018 project page, that path is on hold under Resolution 2025/46. Design is at 35%, and the budget has grown from $3.27 million to $4.7 million.
The new package comes back to that area through the Lady's Island Drive and Meridian Road roundabout, which includes its own pedestrian facilities. The roundabout and the paused path are separate projects with separate budgets, and nothing in the county's material ties one to the other.
One 2018 Lady's Island project is close to construction. The Lady's Island Middle School access road is in right-of-way acquisition with design 95% complete and a $9.5 million budget. The schedule targets construction from the fourth quarter of 2026 through the fourth quarter of 2027. If that holds, crews could start on it before any money from a new tax comes in.
What Residents Have Said at the Meetings
Both sides have been heard in public. WTOC reported residents questioning whether the county can deliver the package and earn back trust after the unfinished 2018 work. County staff answered that the new list is narrower, built around projects that can be delivered, and backed by citizen oversight. The Island Packet quoted a Lady's Island resident who objected to the package's size and raised concerns about trust and tax exemptions. It also quoted a Port Royal resident who supported the tax as a way to deal with growth, safety and congestion.
The Sam's Point Road items are a concrete example of that debate. The 2018 work at the Sea Island Parkway end is still waiting, and the 2026 package would add repaving, a conditional signal and a roundabout upgrade on the same road.
Dates on the Calendar
- November 3, 2026: Election Day, with both ballot questions.
- Fourth quarter of 2026: Target start for construction on the Lady's Island Middle School access road under the 2018 program.
- May 1, 2027: Reported start of collections if the new tax passes.
- End of 2028: County target for finishing most remaining 2018 work.
- April 30, 2036: Latest end date for collections reported by WTOC, against the 2034 sunset in the county FAQ.
The county's full 2026 project list and 2018 project status page both show every line item described here.
If you'd like to talk through how planned road work around Sam's Point Road and Lady's Island Drive could affect getting in and out of Celadon, Lloyd Williams follows these projects closely and is glad to help. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
