As new tolls are being proposed across the country, one will finally be eliminated: the Cross Island Parkway, South Carolina toll.
According to the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the state will no longer charge tolls on the Hilton Head Island Cross Island Parkway from 11:59 pm on June 30. SCDOT is currently in the process of converting the corridor to a toll-free road.
Consequently, sales of new Palmetto Pass accounts will end on February 28. According to the Palmetto Pass website, the cost of a two-axle vehicle on the Cross Island Parkway is $ 1.25 in the square and $ 1 on the ramp for customers who pay cash. Each additional shaft costs $ 1 (square and ramps). However, Palmetto Pass customers pay 75 cents, based on a two-axle vehicle.
Toll was charged to pay bonds issued to build the road, pay for toll collection operations and maintain the road and facilities. Now that they have been paid, SCDOT continues to maintain the Cross Island Parkway after June 30th.
“Since the toll will have fulfilled its purpose of supporting Parkway funding, we will suspend it as required by state law,” said Justin Powell, SCDOT’s assistant secretary for finance and administration, in a statement. “We are preparing to close the related Palmetto Pass accounts and prepare construction work to remove the toll facilities in the corridor.”
Cross Island Parkway is a 7.5 mile limited access route that connects to William Hilton Parkway (Business US 278) at the north end of the island with Palmetto Bay Road and Sea Pines Circle at the south end of the island. It was opened in 1998.
There are more than 32,000 customers of the Palmetto Pass. Conduent Transportation, the contractor that operates the Cross Island Parkway toll road, will contact these customers with information about closing accounts, returning transponders and refunding deposits. The last day to close accounts will be December 31st. The Palmetto Pass transponders will no longer work on the Greenville Southern Connector along Interstate 185.
For more information, visit CrossIslandParkway.org. The Palmetto Pass customer service phone number is 843-342-6718. LL