Sawyer to close next week

The Ben Sawyer Bridge connecting Mount Pleasant and Sullivan's Island is scheduled to close for up to 10 days starting Dec. 4 so a new swing span can be installed, the state Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

The exact time of the closure will be decided as the day nears for the final phase of the $31.5 million project. The closure date is subject to change depending on weather and winds.

In addition, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is scheduled to close for 10 days in the vicinity of the bridge beginning at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 1 so the work can be done, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.

For motorists, the alternate route between the island and Mount Pleasant is the Isle of Palms connector. The Coast Guard recommends that mariners who plan to travel the Intracoastal Waterway during the closure period consult the federal publication Coast Pilot 4 for alternate routes.

The new, 640-ton span for the Ben Sawyer was built at the former Navy Base. It will travel by barge on the Cooper River under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge through Charleston Harbor to the Ben Sawyer site. There, it will sit on a barge for up to two days as last-minute preparations are completed to remove the old swing span and slide the new one in place, officials said.

"The winds have to be calm enough," said Pete Poore, state Department of Transportation communications director.

When the swing span replacement operation begins, the barge carrying the new span will move in and lift the existing span off its pivot pier. The barge then will back up, lower the old span, rotate 180 degrees, and move in again and put the new span in place. The old span will be carried by barge to North Charleston for demolition.

Once the new bridge is aligned with the existing roadway, there will be a few more days of work making electrical and utility connections, finishing paving and testing equipment before the rehabilitation is completed and the roadway is reopened. Crews will be working around the clock, officials said.

Islanders insisted that the design of the new bridge mirror that of the existing bridge, which dates to World War II. The current 12-foot-wide car lanes will be increased to 14 feet on the new bridge. The 2 1/2-foot-wide bike and pedestrian paths on both sides of the bridge will become one 5-foot-wide path on the harbor side of the bridge. The new path will be elevated 10 inches above the pavement.

Ben Sawyer Bridge inspectors have found numerous structural issues over the years. Last year, the 124-foot bridge closed for 72 hours so rusty steel beams supporting the 5-ton bridge tender's house could be replaced. In 2004, transportation engineers reduced the gross weight of vehicles allowed to cross the bridge to 20 tons from 30 tons after an inspection found "fairly significant deterioration" of floor beams and stringers.

CLOSINGS

Ben Sawyer Bridge
• Dec. 4 for up to 10 days
• Start time to be determined

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
• 12:01 a.m. Dec. 1 for 10 days in vicinity of bridge
• Dates subject to change

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.