City officials expected to present update on Ashley River Crossing Project

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A plan meant to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety along a major route from West Ashley to the peninsula is expected to be presented by city officials Tuesday.

The Ashley River Crossing project is expected to be presented at the Charleston City Council meeting set for 2:30 p.m.

William Cogswell, mayor of Charleston, will bring the current design for the traffic and transportation committee to discuss. The funds for this plan are already accounted for. The latest plan includes the cable-stayed swing bridge to go through Brittlebank Park or floating docks, which is different than the previous rendering.

“On the flip side of that, if we don’t go back to a design for this project that has a direct connection to the Medical District, I don’t think we’re going to see much use of this new bridge,” Katie Zimmerman, executive director of Charleston Moves, said. “And that would be a huge shame.”

The current bridge across the Ashley River has posed dangers for pedestrians and bicyclists “for over a century.” Zimmerman said that a local historian went back and found instances from newspaper clippings, where people were hurt on the bridge.

“I have met a lot of people who have stories about getting hurt on that bridge,” Zimmerman said. “I talked to one young woman a few years ago, who, her bike tire got caught in a crack on that maintenance path and she fell into the lane of traffic on her bike.”

However, with the addition of the Ashley River Crossing, those crashes are expected to be reduced along with congestion.

“Once this project is completed, we’ll see a lot of different traffic patterns for the better,” Zimmerman said. “And that’s going to benefit folks who never even choose to walk or bicycle to get around even if they are just driving.”