Government Affairs State Boating Info South Carolina Boating News

South Carolina Boating News

November 18, 2009

Temporary Closure of Ben Sawyer Memorial Bridge near Charleston

BoatU.S. has been notified by the United States Coast Guard of the temporary closure of the Ben Sawyer Memorial Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. A copy of the notices is below:

Due to a scheduled replacement of the Ben Sawyer Bridge's swing span, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) will be closed to marine traffic from Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 12:01 A.M. through Friday, December 11, 2009 at 11:59 P.M. The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone around the Ben Sawyer Bridge. The safety zone will encompass the AICW from 180 yards northwest of the bridge, and 220 yards southwest of the bridge. No one may enter the safety zone without prior authorization from the Captain of the Port Charleston or his designated representative.

South Carolina DOT will conduct post-construction tests following the span replacement. Accordingly, the Ben Sawyer Bridge will have limited openings from Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 12:00 A.M. through Monday, December 14, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. Scheduled bridge openings will be broadcasted via channel 16 VHF and incorporated into this MSIB as soon as the information becomes available.

Mariners are encouraged to monitor the Broadcast Notice to Mariners on VHF Channel 16. Coast Guard Sector Charleston will broadcast the closure of the AICW and the rescission of the corresponding safety zone as appropriate. The bridge construction schedule is somewhat dependent on weather, and any changes to the schedule will be made to this MSIB. For questions regarding the bridge construction, please contact Ms. Julie Hussey of PCL at (843) 224-1096 or Mr. Kim Partenheimer of PB Americas at (843) 972-1775. Coast Guard Sector Charleston may be contacted via our 24-hour Command Center Line at (843) 740-7050.

The latest news on the Ben Sawyer Bridge can be found by clicking here.

For specific questions about boating issues or BoatUS Government Affairs, please e-mail the department at GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com