Beaufort is a unique community that hosts three military installations: Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, and Naval Hospital Beaufort. Their missions don’t stop at the base gates. They depend on the roads outside them.

The Chamber continues to share business and economic perspectives on important community decisions. With two transportation referendum questions on the ballot, we’ve used this series recently to look at how transportation infrastructure affects our community, both when it works well and when it doesn’t.

Readiness starts outside the gate | Our three bases contribute almost $3 billion in economic impact to our region -- a big deal, though second only to the vital role they play in defending our nation. Those missions depend on having strong bases, and strong bases depend on a community that can support the missions. Reliable infrastructure is a big part of that.

Lost hours are tracked. Installation commanders can measure the hours of productivity lost to congestion, delays, and unreliable routes. Every hour a Marine, sailor, or civilian employee spends in traffic is an hour taken from the mission.

Missions are growing. Our installations are taking on more work to maintain combat readiness and provide critical training. Growing missions bring more personnel, more contractors, and more trips through the gates each day.

Military families live here. Service members and their families live, shop, and go to school in our community. Commutes, school drop-offs, medical appointments, and military spouses’ jobs all depend on the same roads as everyone else.

Communities compete. When the Department of Defense decides where missions go or which expand, the infrastructure of the surrounding community is part of the decision. Supporting our bases goes beyond patriotism. It means proving we can support their missions.

Several projects on the referendum list improve the corridors that serve our bases and the families stationed here:
--Trask Parkway (US 21), the main highway to the MCAS main entry/exit gate
--Ribaut Road in front of Naval Hospital and the Lady’s Island bridge intersection
--Parris Island Gateway from Trask Parkway to Bell Bridge, the only road leading to MCRDPI
--Grober Hill Road corridor for a safer route from in-town bases to Laurel Bay
--Intersection improvements at Laurel Bay Road and Joe Frazier Road

Where the Chamber stands | The Chamber supports the referendum so we all can benefit from much-needed, improved transportation infrastructure. A safe, reliable transportation network is a business issue, a workforce issue, and a military issue. The Chamber encourages a Yes vote on both ballot questions.

Your vote, your voice | Whatever your view, we hope this has helped you see the full picture. Reach out to our Chamber staff or Board members if you want to understand our position better.