Bridge plans unveiled

FOLLY BEACH -- S.C. Department of Transportation officials are now focusing on Folly Road bridge replacement plans believed to have the least impact on surrounding developments.

Dozens of people turned out Tuesday to see, and comment on, plans SCDOT chose to replace two Folly Road bridges near the entrance to Folly Beach. The new bridges over Folly River and Folly Creek will replace spans more than 50 years old and considered "functionally obsolete and structurally deficient," SCDOT said.

Four alternates for each bridge replacement were shown in February, and on Tuesday, one favored plan for each bridge was displayed, along with rejected proposals.

The new bridges will be two lanes each, like the existing ones, but will be wider and higher and include bike and walking lanes. Both new bridges will swing slightly north of the existing bridges' footprints.

SCDOT Program Manager Tucker Creed said the new Folly Creek span will shave some right of way at Crosby's Fish & Shrimp Co. The road also will come closer to Waterfront Villas condominiums but have little impact on it, Creed said. Some who saw the plan asked if a wall can be erected to keep highway noise from the residential project.

Bob Edge of Turn of River condominiums was concerned that the new Folly River bridge could require vehicles leaving the condos to make right turns only because the new, elevated roadbed might make left turns more dangerous.

"You've got to make a right turn, head into Folly Beach and somewhere make a U-turn and come back if you want to head to Charleston. That doesn't make sense," Edge said.

Dan Moses, a SCDOT traffic consultant, said egress from the condos is still being studied. Options include an alternate point of highway entry from that development, and a traffic signal, he said.

Folly Beach Mayor Carl Beckmann Jr. said he's hoping SCDOT will agree to put lights on the bridges.

For more information or to comment, contact SCDOT Project Manager Jae Mattox at 803-737-1805 or e-mail mottoxjh@scdot.org.