Bridge closing postponed

MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Ben Sawyer Bridge to Sullivan's Island is now scheduled to close sometime in January for 10 days so that a new swing span can be installed, officials said Wednesday.

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway was to close at the bridge starting today for 10 days. The bridge would have closed for 10 days starting Sunday. The work was postponed for at least a month at the request of the bridge contractor because of the stormy weather and mechanical problems, said James Law, media relations specialist with the state Department of Transportation.

PCL Civil Constructors informed the DOT Wednesday of problems with a jacking system associated with the approach spans currently constructed on site that could potentially affect the rolling of these spans into their final location. The contractor is investigating the jacking system to further ensure all risks will be minimized regarding the 236-hour closure, according to a statement released by the DOT and the contractor.

"Due to the inclement weather experienced this week and the future weather system forecast for this weekend, the contractor has had to postpone critical activities necessary to proceed with the full closure this weekend," the statement said.

A shift in the closure date to January is not expected to impact the contractor's ability to meet the contract completion date of May 5, 2010. The contract has financial incentives and disincentives to complete the closure within 236 hours, but it does not require a specific time for the closure as long as it is prior to March 31, 2010, according to the statement. "Rather than rushing to complete the closure before the holidays, the decision was made to be cautious and wait until after the holidays to begin the full closure."

Mike Meade of Seattle and his wife Karen welcomed news that the waterway at the bridge would not close as scheduled. They were 75 miles away at a Murrells Inlet marina on their 42-foot catamaran. "We never would have made it," Meade said.

If the waterway had closed, options included the unwelcome prospect of an offshore journey from Winyah Bay to Brunswick, Ga. Ocean sailing in December is dicey, he said. "Most years we get going earlier. This time of year you've got to pick your days. I wouldn't want to be out there right now," he said.

The setback pushed the project closer to previously designated Dec. 18 to Jan. 3 blackout dates when the work can't be done because of holiday travel on the bridge and seasonal travel on the waterway by boat owners heading south for the winter. The exact dates for the bridge and waterway closure in January will be determined later, Law said.

The $31 million project includes a new 640-ton span. Islanders insisted that the design of the new bridge mirror that of the existing bridge, which dates to World War II.