Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Delays Expected at Socastee Drawbridge - Motorists Advised to Use Alternate Routes

The Socastee drawbridge (S-26-616 / Dick Pond Road) has experienced a part failure with a portion of its locking mechanism. The bridge is safe for both motorists and boats, but manually unlocking and opening the bridge to maritime traffic takes almost twice as long as normal operations. For this reason, and in coordination with the US Coast Guard, the Socastee Bridge will provide hourly openings to maritime traffic beginning at 7 a.m. tomorrow, Nov. 4. No other openings are planned for today.

From Nov. 4-9, SCDOT will open the bridge to maritime traffic on the hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Because this manual opening procedure will close the roadway (S-26-616 / Dick Pond Road) to motorist each hour, travelers are encouraged to seek alternate routes, like SC 544. Repairs are actively underway to fabricate the needed part and to reopen the bridge prior to Nov. 9.