SCBIZ Daily Staff

SULLIVAN'S ISLAND -- The Ben Sawyer swing bridge will undergo a $40 million rehabilitation under a contract approved this month by the S.C. Department of Transportation Commission.

The bridge, built in 1945, spans the Intracoastal Waterway, connecting Mount Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island.

The project will improve the approaches to the bridge, replace the steel superstructure on the swing span and replace the electrical and mechanical systems. It is expected to take two years to complete and is funded entirely by federal dollars, the state DOT said in a news release.

The contract permits the bridge to be completely closed for only seven days during the 24 months allowed for the project. During the closure, the new steel superstructure will be brought in by barge and lifted atop the existing bridge piers. Detours will be determined and announced before the closure.

“The Ben Sawyer Bridge is certainly an important transportation link, but its function as a swing bridge is also part of the tradition and charm of the Lowcountry landscape,” said Transportation Secretary H.B. Limehouse Jr. “This project is of particular interest to me since I worked for what was then known as the S.C. Highway Department during my summer vacations while a cadet at The Citadel. One of my jobs was to serve as a relief bridge operator. The Ben Sawyer Bridge has survived time and major hurricanes, and it’s important that we preserve it as a swing bridge.”

The Ben Sawyer Bridge drew significant attention nationwide in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo came ashore in the Charleston area. The storm essentially collapsed the swing span and left it tilted at a 45-degree angle, creating one of the lasting images of the hurricane’s devastation. The swing span was lifted back into place about two weeks later, on Oct. 5, 1989.