Project Information

*The City of Beaufort Owns this project; SCOR is the Owner's project representative. SCOR procures vendors, contracts directly with vendors, pays project expenses directly to vendors, and ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and requirements in coordination with the City.

Project Partners

Project Updates

Real-Time Updates

Update #6 (2/19/2026): The Bay/Charles Street intersection opened to cross traffic moving along Bay Street on Monday, February 16th. Gulf Stream has marked a pedestrian crossing along the north (inland) side of the intersection this week for foot traffic to cross Charles Street. The next intersection closure—Charles/Craven Street—is currently planned for mid-March. Gulf Stream will continue working along Charles Street between the Port Republic Street intersection, which remains closed, and the Craven Street intersection.

Update #5 (2/19/2026): Water & sewer services provided by Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA) will be interrupted overnight from February 25th-26th. The impacted businesses and residents have been directly notified by BJWSA, and the City has posted a map of the service interruption online here. Continue checking this page and communications from the City for additional interruption notifications that will compliment direct outreach by BJWSA to impacted residents and businesses; these are anticipated for early March. Utility service issues outside of scheduled interruptions should be directly communicated to the appropriate utility provider (see sidebar for contact details).

Update #4 (2/11/2026): While the Bay Street intersection is still planned to re-open on Monday, February 16th, Gulf Stream will now complete paving the intersection on Friday, February 13th.

Update #3 (2/9/2026): Weather permitting, Gulf Stream plans to pave the Bay Street intersection on Thursday, February 12th. This will allow the intersection to re-open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Monday, February 16th once the asphalt has set. A crosswalk will be open on the north side of the Bay Street intersection. Following the Bay Street intersection’s reopening, and weather permitting, Gulf Stream plans to close Charles Street up to Craven Street on Monday, February 16th, but will not close the Charles/Craven Street intersection. Residents and businesses impacted by this next closure are being directly contacted by the City of Beaufort.

Update #2 (2/6/26): Construction will proceed up Charles Street and block the driveway to 308 Charles Street early to mid-week of February 9th. The driveway of 915 Port Republic Street will likely be blocked late in the week of February 9th, either Thursday or Friday. As construction progresses, exact closure dates will be announced here.

Update #1 (2/6/26): Weather permitting, Gulf Stream intends to re-pave the Bay/Charles Street intersection during the week of February 9th, 2026, which will allow it to re-open to traffic shortly thereafter. Immediately upon opening, there will be a small drop from the existing pavement down to the new layer of asphalt. This will be temporary, and the drop will be eased by an asphalt wedge compliant with SCDOT standards. This wedge will be in place when the intersection opens.

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Gulf Stream is working along Charles Street from Bay Street through the Port Republic/Charles Street intersection. They do not intend to move any farther north on Charles Street until the intersection of Bay and Charles is reopened. All affected property owners will be notified before the contractor closes additional portions of Charles Street.

Gulf Stream will not close the Charles and Craven Street intersection until they complete work in the currently closed section of Charles Street between Port Republic and Craven Street. At this time, Gulf Stream does not anticipate reaching the Charles and Craven intersection until the middle of March. Additional communications will be sent out ahead of this major intersection closure. 

The project team meets twice a week to discuss the construction schedule and share updates. Due to the project's dynamic nature, changes to the schedule may be necessary and will be promptly posted here in addition to notifications sent directly to neighborhood residents and merchants.

Major Project Updates

Bay Street Intersection Closure

During exploratory excavation at the beginning of the project by the contractor, it was determined that available records of the relieving platform construction and the more recent waterfront park construction did not accurately describe the seawall’s construction. Additionally, as the City’s relieving platform taskforce completed additional structural analysis of the relieving platform, seawall and promenade in the Fall of 2025, it was determined that structural integrity of the platform was severely compromised. Upon learning this, McCormick Taylor determined the proposed stormwater improvements within proximity of the relieving platform and seawall—including a larger penetration through the seawall to accommodate the new drainage system—could not be installed as designed without compromising the relieving platform’s integrity.

This redesign took one (1) month and had the construction schedule been extended by that amount, the project would not reach completion by December 31, 2026. To keep the project on the schedule the U.S. Department of Treasury mandates, SCOR, the City of Beaufort, and McCormick Taylor opted to proceed with an area of the project for which materials had already been manufactured: the intersection of Bay and Charles Streets. Without proceeding to work in this area earlier than planned, construction would have been delayed by one (1) month or more, which would jeopardize the project's federal funding.

When will the Bay/Charles intersection open?

As of Monday, February 16th, the Bay Street intersection is open to cross traffic along Bay Street, and pedestrian crossing is possible along the north (inland) side of the intersection.

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Previous information regarding the Bay Street intersection:

Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating. A cold snap blew in, dropping temperatures to well below the threshold for asphalt paving. The contractor, engineer and SCDOT talked through several alternatives in an attempt to find a way to temporarily open Bay and Charles until temperatures are warm enough to pave, but they were not able to identify a safe alternative.

Therefore, the intersection opening is on-hold until the temperatures rise enough to pave the roadway. In the meantime, the contractor has graded and compacted the area in preparation for paving. 

Update as of 2/9/2026: Weather permitting, Gulf Stream plans to pave the Bay Street intersection on Thursday, February 12th. This will allow the intersection to re-open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Monday, February 16th once the asphalt has set. A crosswalk will be open on the north side of the Bay Street intersection. Following the Bay Street intersection’s reopening, and weather permitting, Gulf Stream plans to close Charles Street up to Craven Street on Monday, February 16th, but will not close the Charles/Craven Street intersection. Residents and businesses impacted by this next closure are being directly contacted by the City of Beaufort.

Project Timeline

September 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022: SCOR accepts applications for the ARPA-funded Stormwater Infrastructure Program (ASIP) following a June - August 2022 outreach initiative to all 46 Counties.

April 7, 2023: SCOR sends award notification and grant agreement documents to the City of Beaufort for the Charles/Craven St. and Port Republic. This follows SCOR's review of the City's application, verification of the project's benefit-cost ratio, and review of the project's impact for low-to-moderate income (LMI) beneficiaries.

April 8, 2023 - May 2023: SCOR and the City negotiate scope of the ASIP award and local cost share requirements.

May 2023: SCOR sends finalized ASIP Award Agreement to the City and receives signed ASIP Award Agreement and Resolution from City Council.

June - July 2023: SCOR posts a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) advertisement for engineering and design services on the South Carolina Business Opportunities website, in collaboration with the City and SC Office of State Engineer (OSE).

August 24, 2023: After reducing the thirty (30)-day timeline to expedite procurement, SCOR posted notice of three firms to be interviewed for design and engineering.

September 28, 2023: SCOR selected McCormick Taylor after scoring interviews. Appropriate notice was submitted to all firms selected for an interview, and the required protest periods were observed.

October-November 2023: SCOR and City conducted contract negotiations and project scoping with McCormick Taylor following a mandatory protest period. 

December 7, 2023: The final design services contract was executed by all parties and approved by the Office of State Engineer. 

December 12, 2023: SCOR, the City of Beaufort, and McCormick Taylor held a kick off meeting to initiate engineering and design services. Throughout the design phase, the team held monthly coordination meetings. McCormick Taylor provided the Field Survey, Existing Condition, and SUE deliverables on March 8, 2024, which is roughly two to four (2-4) months earlier than is typical for these items.

May 3, 2024: McCormick Taylor provided 60% design plans which identified utility conflicts and required permits. The firm expedited this process to deliver 60% drawings in five (5) months.

September 9, 2024: Following questions from regulatory agencies, McCormick Taylor submitted a final Environmental Review report to SCOR for approval. 

September 2024 - March 2025: McCormick Taylor continued finalizing plans and submitted permit requests to relevant regulatory agencies. The firm also designed plans for utility relocations in the project area.

March 2025: McCormick Taylor submitted 100% drawings, project manual, and a final cost estimate to SCOR and the City of Beaufort for review. Simultaneously, McCormick Taylor worked to secure permits over the course of mid-2025.

June 27, 2025: The Office of State Engineer (OSE) allowed SCOR to advertise an invitation to bid on a construction contract. Normally, an advertisement may not be published until all permits are in-hand, but OSE granted an exception in the interest of keeping the project on schedule, with a caveat that a construction contract would not be issued until all permits were secured.

July 21, 2025: Simultaneously, and in accordance with state procurement, SCOR engaged with Soil Consultants, Inc., an OSE-approved vendor, to prepare a proposal for material testing and inspection services for the Beaufort project.

August 5, 2025: Immediately following receipt of the final permit, SCOR held a bid opening and received two lump sum bids.

September 9, 2025: After identifying Gulf Stream Construction Company, Inc. as the lowest qualified bidder, and posting an intent to award for a mandatory protest period, SCOR received an executed construction contract and all required bonds from Gulf Stream.

October 20, 2025: Gulf Stream mobilized on site and began conducting pot holing/exploratory demolition, staging equipment, and posting signage.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know what is going on?

The SC Office of Resilience remains committed to ensuring transparency about this project's progress. This webpage will consistently provide updates about schedule changes and impacts to residents in the area. Please check here first.

The City of Beaufort will continue sending updates in the weekly City Manager's Bridge Report and through its various platforms. All of these communications are coordinated with SCOR, McCormick Taylor, Gulf Stream, Soil Consultants, and the relevant utility companies.

Should we be broadcasting our updates directly to you? Please send your contact information here.

Why is the project's schedule fast-paced?

American Rescue Plan Act - State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA-SLFRF) fund this project. The U.S. Department of Treasury mandates that the project's completion—and all funds spent—must be reached by December 31, 2026.

At this time, the federal government has not informed the state that an extension will be granted. 

Construction started in 2025. Why didn't it start sooner?

The project—projected to be complete in five (5) years, yet compressed into three (3)  years—has encountered delays. Namely, South Carolina's regulatory agencies simultaneously received many permitting applications related to ARPA projects. This placed an unavoidable delay on starting construction.

Nevertheless, SCOR and the City of Beaufort have proceeded with the Charles/Craven St Drainage Project's design and construction due to the project's necessity and utility for downtown Beaufort residents.

A project of this scale is normally projected to take five (5) years to complete from inception through construction. SCOR and the City of Beaufort have scheduled it to fit within a three (3) year time span to ensure it is complete within the federal government's end-of-2026 deadline.

What consideration is given to Beaufort's archaeology and historic buildings?

SCOR required the project engineer to complete an environmental review of the site—this included consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Coordination and communication with SHPO is ongoing and will continue until the project is complete.

Archaeology

An archaeological monitoring plan was developed, and approved by the SHPO. A qualified professional archaeologist is always on site when the contractor is working in areas that SHPO has identified as having a high probability for archaeological finds.

Outside of these areas, the contractor is obligated to monitor for any such finds—the team is trained on what to look for, and what procedures to follow.

SCOR also has a qualified professional archaeologist on staff who monitors the project team for compliance with all applicable requirements and best practices.

Historic Buildings

SCOR avoids damage to historic structures by using strict oversight methods.

Crack monitors and vibration monitors are being utilized. The crack monitors have been placed on buildings along the work path that have visible exterior cracks. These are checked frequently for any signs of further movement.

The vibration monitors will immediately send a notification to the contractor if the vibrations exceed the set threshold limit. Currently, the vibration monitors are set below the allowable vibration limits to ensure the contractor is notified well before any vibrations from construction activities can reach a point at which damage may occur.

SCOR also has a qualified professional architectural historian on staff who monitors the project team for compliance with all applicable requirements and best practices.

How does the project team maintain the safety of trees?

For the safety of the trees along the project corridor, select pruning is required to reduce the likely hood of the equipment striking and damaging the tree.

Gulf Stream is required to bring in a certified arborist to oversee any tree trimming. Before any trees are trimmed, the contractor’s arborist coordinates with the City Arborist, SCOR, and McCormick Taylor to ensure only the necessary branches are pruned. If the tree is located on private property, the property owner will be engaged during this process.

The contractor is also required to practice industry standards for root pruning when encountering roots while excavating for the drainage structures. In some instances—given the proximity of the tree to the area of excavation—the tree must be removed due to the severity of impacts to the tree’s root system. There are minimal trees being removed and they have been reviewed by the City. Additionally, the property owner has been engaged in this decision.