Project News

Demolition Underway
Submitted on: March 15, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Demolition has begun on the old approach spans and will be underway for the next several weeks. First, the reinforced concrete deck, along with the associated railing, is saw cut and removed piece by piece. With portions of the deck out of the way, welders dismantle the large steel girders. Hauling away the demolition debris requires many large dump trucks entering and exiting the construction zone. Be prepared to stop if you see a flagger assisting these trucks on and off of Ben Sawyer Boulevard. Your patience during this phase of the project is greatly appreciated.

Ben Sawyer Bridge Opens to Traffic
Submitted on: February 19, 2010 at 1:50 am
PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. notified the South Carolina Department of Transportation that the Ben Sawyer Bridge was open for traffic! Returning traffic onto a brand new bridge in such a short period of time wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of the bridge construction team and countless others.

Ben Sawyer Bridge Update
Submitted on: February 17, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Despite construction and South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) crews working 24/7 over the past 10 days, due to the cold and unseasonable weather experienced over the past week and the desire of both the SCDOT and PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. (PCL) to deliver a complete and quality assured product to the public, the Ben Sawyer Bridge will not be opening tonight.

With a movable span balanced upon a single pivot pier, swing span bridges have very complex mechanical and electrical systems which need calculated alignment and extensive functional testing to safely and efficiently open and close the many times it needs to over its projected lifespan.

We appreciate the patience of the local community and we assure the travelling public that PCL and SCDOT want to return traffic onto the Ben Sawyer Bridge as soon as possible, but it is just as important to make certain the bridge delivers a smooth ride and safe operations for many years to come.

Functional Testing and Mechanical Alignment Begin
Submitted on: February 16, 2010 at 3:45 pm
With asphalt and most of the concrete in place, the approaches in alignment, and the swing span in place, the bridge’s structural work is almost complete. Now the detail work kicks into high gear as functional testing and mechanical alignment begin.

For those wondering about the bridge’s opening date and time, the ten day closure clock began at 7 am last Monday. The construction contract provides the contractor with 9.75 days to reopen the bridge without facing the possibility of financial disincentives; there are also some incentives if the bridge is open early. Be assured everyone on the project wants to deliver a working bridge as soon as possible.

Ben Sawyer Swing Span in Place
Submitted on: February 12, 2010 at 9:45 am
The new swing span started moving before two this afternoon. By four pm, this important puzzle piece was in place over the pivot pier! Now crews will focus on securing it to the pivot pier and then begin the necessary work to make the moveable span operational.

The swing span crew were not the only ones bringing their best to the job. Crews built the connection between the bridge and Mount Pleasant placing concrete for the approach slab, sidewalk, as well as some new curb and gutter work. Simultaneously, roadway crews placed asphalt on Ben Sawyer Boulevard up to the new concrete approach slab.

Tonight, jacking crews will begin connecting the next important piece of the puzzle as they start pulling the new Sullivan’s Island approach into alignment with the new Mount Pleasant approach span and the new swing span.

Full closure underway
Submitted on: February 8, 2010 at 2:00 pm
The Intracoastal is rising and crews are getting ready to remove the old swing span. The process will be underway between noon and three.

Ben Sawyer Bridge Swing Span Is Underway
Submitted on: February 5, 2010 at 10:30 am
Starting Friday, February 5 and extending through the full closure of the Ben Sawyer Bridge, PCL Civil Constructors, the bridge's design-build contractor, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation are closing the bridge's pedestrian access to the public.

This sidewalk closure is necessary for the safety of pedestrians, motorists, and the construction team. Because the existing bridge's very narrow sidewalk/curb is the primary access for construction workers crossing from one approach span to the other, an increase in pedestrian traffic to view construction activities crowds the 2.5 foot wide curb forcing passing pedestrians to use the roadway. Motorists, also interested in the construction activities, are not anticipating the presence of pedestrians in the traffic lanes resulting in a dangerous situation for all involved.

Pedestrian access across the Ben Sawyer Bridge will not only be restored upon the opening of the new bridge and roadway but will also be enhanced with a wider sidewalk (5.5 feet) and improved connectivity with the adjacent shared pedestrian/bike path.

Ben Sawyer Bridge Swing Span Is Underway
Submitted on: February 4, 2010 at 10:00 am
The Ben Sawyer Bridge’s new swing span began its journey from the former Navy Base in North Charleston to the bridge site on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at 6:25 this morning. They are expecting to be around the Ravenel Bridge within the hour to arrive at the ICW around noon for high tide.

To prepare for the arrival of the swing span barges, the ICW at the Ben Sawyer Bridge was closed at 7am this morning.

Today's Move of the New Swing Span Moved to Thursday 2/4
Submitted on: February 3, 2010 at 9:30 am
In the middle of the night, PCL Civil Constructors made the decision to postpone the start of the ten day Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Closure until Thursday, February 4, 2010. While crews were able to move the swing span onto the barges yesterday afternoon, the day’s soaking weather had some adverse impacts on the jacking and pumping operations necessary to secure the swing span for safe travel.

With drier weather anticipated for the day, crews expect to secure the span by early afternoon and begin the tow of the span around 4:00 am on Thursday morning. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway will close at 7:00 am and the rest of the schedule will proceed as planned with a shift of the Ben Sawyer Boulevard and bridge closure to Saturday, February 6, 2010.

PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) expect to completely close Ben Sawyer Boulevard (SC 703) over the Ben Sawyer Bridge for 10 days (236 hours) no sooner than Friday, February 5, 2010.
This notice and the placement of variable message signs (VMS) on Ben Sawyer Boulevard and the Isle of Palms Connector are being provided to give at least seven days of preparation time for motorists, residents, and business owners.

For access on and off of Sullivan’s Island during the bridge closure, the signed detour route is Coleman Boulevard (SC 703), Chuck Dawley Boulevard (I-526), Isle of Palms Connector (SC 517), Palm Boulevard, and Middle Street.

A full closure is necessary to position the new swing span and approaches onto the existing bridge’s foundation piers. The bridge’s design-build contractor, PCL Civil Constructors Inc., will be working two shifts, 24 hours a day, with the goal to complete closure activities as soon as possible. There are both financial incentives and dis-incentives in the SCDOT contract to encourage minimum disruption to traffic and businesses.

The final road closure start time is connected to the closure of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway which can be impacted by weather and tides. Currently, the Waterway is anticipated to close on Wednesday, February 3, 2010.

SCDOT will continue to update the public throughout the waterway and road closure with message boards, the project website, media notifications, and now with Tweets from SCDOT_BenSawyer.

Ben Sawyer Bridge Intracoastal and Roadway Closure Shifted to February 2010
PCL Civil Constructors, the Ben Sawyer Bridge Rehabilitation Contractor, will wait until early February 2010 to close the Ben Sawyer Bridge and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

To provide sufficient notice for maritime traffic to schedule travel plans after the new year, the closure of the waterway at the bridge will not occur prior to February 3, 2010 with a roadway closure not to occur prior to February 5, 2010. The official start of the ten-day waterway closure and consequently the ten-day Ben Sawyer Bridge closure remains weather dependent.

Crews are using the month of January to complete all final closure preparation activities. Jacking issues discovered in early December have been addressed and no longer impact the start or schedule of closure activities.

Scheduling closure activities in February 2010 still allows the contractor to meet SCDOT contract requirements to complete closure activities between October 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010.

Closure Move To January 2010
PCL Civil Constructors, the Ben Sawyer Bridge Rehabilitation Contractor, has decided to wait until January 2010 to close the Ben Sawyer Bridge and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

Due to the inclement weather experienced this week and the future weather system forecasted for this weekend, the contractor has had to postpone critical activities necessary to proceed with the full closure this weekend. Also, during today’s preparation activities, an unexpected issue arose with the jacking system associated with the approach spans currently constructed on-site that could potentially affect the rolling of these spans into their final location. The contractor is investigating the jacking system to further ensure that once the closure begins all risks will be minimized regarding the 236-hour closure.

The contract has a blackout period between December 18th and January 3rd, where closure of the bridge is prohibited.

SCDOT and the bridge contractor recognize the importance of the bridge for local vehicular and boat traffic. Rather than rushing to complete the closure before the holidays, the decision was made to be cautious and wait until after the holidays to begin the full closure.

A shift in the closure date to January is not expected to impact the contractor’s ability to meet the contract completion date of May 5, 2010. The contract has financial incentives and disincentives to complete the closure within 236 hours, but it does not require a specific time for the closure as long as it is prior to March 31, 2010.

Simulation Video of Closure Activities
This computer simulation shows how the newly constructed rehabilitated bridge will be moved into place during the closure of the Ben Sawyer Bridge and waterway.

The ten day Intracoastal Waterway closure begins just before the 640 ton, new swing span starts its move from the pier in North Charleston. The new swing span will move under the Cooper River Bridge through the harbor to the bridge site. Once in the Intracoastal waterway, the new swing span will sit at the construction site for up to two days, as last minute preparations are completed for the swing span and the existing bridge.

When the Ben Sawyer bridge is closed, the barge with the new swing span moves in to lift the existing swing span off of its pivot pier. After the old span is removed, the barge backs up, lowers the old span, rotates 180 degrees, and moves in to put the new span into place. The old span is barged back to the pier in North Charleston for demolition.

The slow pulling of the approach spans also begins soon after the roadway is closed. The northern approach (Mount Pleasant side) will be slightly ahead of the southern approach. In the simulation, the existing roadway appears is the darker color and the new roadway is grey. .

The simulation ends abruptly when both approaches and the swing span are in alignment. In truth, once the new bridge is completely aligned with the existing roadway, there are a few more days of work making electrical and utility connections, finishing paving, testing equipment, and receiving sign off before the rehabilitation is completed and the roadway is reopened.

Closure Simulation Video - [8.7mb]