Improvements to Pitt Street Bridge coming soon

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- A project to improve safety and accessibility on the popular Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant is one step closer to becoming a reality.

On a pretty day, hundreds of people will walk their dogs, hang out on the benches, or go fishing.

“I’d say I visit here once a week,” Mount Pleasant resident, Clem Danish said.

The Pitt Street Bridge is one of the heaviest foot traffic areas in Mount Pleasant, “From sunrises to sunsets, having a nice breezy day like it is, it’s amazing,” Danish said.

However, getting there isn’t as pleasant as the views.

“They’ll need to improve the parking because it’s only going to increase, the amount of people that are coming through here,” Danish said,

That’s what the town is working to do.

The entryway leading up to Pitt Street Bridge is very narrow, and there are few parking spaces, which town engineers say creates a safety hazard for drivers and pedestrians. However, changes are coming.

“What we’re going to do is within that cross section that already exists, use signing and pavement markings and traffic calming to make it a safer environment for all of these different modes to interact,” TOMP Engineer, James Apon said.

The nearly $1 million safety improvement project will also include more pedestrian lighting and a new kayak launch.

Apon says during the project, they will work to limit closures in the area, “Written within the contract and discussions with the contractor, also knowing how popular of an area this place is, we are going to try to limit the amount of partial and full closures that are necessary for construction.”

The project is expected to start this winter and will last about 3 months.