Watchdog: Drawbridge delays explained
Traffic on the Ashley River Bridge heading into Charleston. File/Staff
If you are one of those getting stuck in traffic on the Ashley River Memorial Bridge, here's an explanation for the delay.
As one of the two main passageways from the West Ashley area into the peninsula, the northbound U.S. Highway 17 drawbridge may seem to backup traffic. But when it does, it's usually just for eight minutes. That is the federal regulated time it takes to run maintenance on that bridge. "We try to limit the maintenance to off-peak hours," Glenn said.
David Glenn, construction engineer for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, said that if one of the drawbridges is opened it is nothing out of the ordinary.
The drawbridges open and close for boat traffic on the river, and the bridge farthest away from the vessel has to open first so that boats travelling between the bridges don't get stuck in the middle if one fails to open.
Other than opening for boat traffic, the bridges open only if there is a government vessel in distress. The bridges remain closed between 7 and 9 a.m. and between 4 and 7 p.m. unless there is a 12 hour advance notice from a vessel. There are also curfews to minimize boat traffic between the bridges.
Glenn added that in the 288 times the drawbridge opened since last October, only one malfunction has occurred.
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