Beresford Creek Bridge reopens after 10 months of construction

The Beresford Creek Bridge connecting St. Thomas Island Drive to Daniel Island Drive has reopened to traffic after nearly a year of closure for reconstruction.

 

The project, which began on Aug. 15, 2023, aimed to replace the old bridge with two new travel lanes and a multi-use path for bike and pedestrian access.

 

Officially slated to open at 7 a.m. on June 7, some drivers got a sneak peek of the new bridge the night before, on June 6, as bridge barriers were taken down, allowing cars to cross over the creek for the first time in 10 months.

 

The bridge boasts a length of 95 x 120 feet, and the two new travel lanes are each 11 feet wide.Yet to be completed is the multi-use path along one side of the bridge for walkers and bikers.

 

Contractors are waiting on a backorder of hand railings to install before an official grand opening is scheduled. The ribbon cutting is anticipated to take place sometime this summer.

 

“The multi-use path isn’t open yet because there was an issue with the supplier for the handrails,” said city communications director Deja Knight McMillan. “The hand railing for the multi-use path will need to be installed, and the final pavement striping still needs to be completed.”

 

Originally scheduled to finish in April, the bridge faced other delays in its final stages of construction. McMillan said soft soil and material were found around the approaching roadways, and contractors had to reanalyze and design appropriate measures before safely opening the bridge.

 

The total construction cost amounted to $2,893,280.39, which was funded through the city’s General Fund.

 

McMillan shed light on the disparities between the old and new bridge configurations.

 

“The previous bridge was functionally obsolete, structurally deficient, and weight restricted,” she said. “The reconstruction effort aimed to address these issues, resulting in a lengthened bridge with an eight-foot multi-use path, enhancing both functionality and safety for commuters.”

 

The closure of the bridge posed challenges for commuters and residents, rerouting traffic to the on-and-off ramps on I-526 East and West.

 

With the bridge reopened, District 1 County Councilman Boyd Gregg anticipates the new crossing “will improve traffic flow, since we are back to having two ways on-and-off the island.”

 

Commuters aren't the only ones excited.

 

Local business owner Rick Coe, owner of Weightspace gym on Clements Ferry Road, believes the direct access from Daniel Island to the Clements Ferry corridor will boost business.

 

“We Clements Ferry small business owners are all excited to see the bridge open again,” he said. “Being in the gym business, I am already asking people to carve out time in the day to do something they probably are already avoiding anyway, and the inconvenience of the bridge closure can be an excuse. We are ready for all the island residents to come here!”

 

Parents like Mindy Donohue, who had to endure mornings of sitting in traffic on the I-526 detour, said the reopening brings relief and efficiency to her daily commutes.

 

“As a parent who needs to make her way down Clements Ferry before 8 a.m. while fighting stand-still traffic, this bridge opening back up is a godsend,” she said.  “I know I’m not alone when I say the new bridge is a major cause of relief!”