Mount Pleasant, SC (WSCC) - During a press conference on Wednesday May 16th, officials told us that the repairs for the Wando Bridge will take 4 weeks.
On Monday, a cable was found ruptured inside the structure of the bridge. The cable was one that holds the bridge together. Officials immediatly closed the bridge on I526 Westbound.
The target date for the repair is June 11th.
Watch the full press conference now:
Full Press Release:
City of Charleston Wando River Bridge Closure, PM Update for May 16
Charleston, S.C.— At a press conference tonight with regional leaders throughout the Lowcountry, SCDOT Deputy Secretary for Engineering Leland Colvin announced that the Wando River Bridge will remain closed until June 11, while repairs to the bridge are being affected.
In the meantime, the city of Charleston will continue to work closely with its state and regional partners to help minimize commuter delays. Efforts already underway include the following:
Mayor Tecklenburg has directed city officials to enact flexible scheduling to reduce peak traffic wherever possible. Core business hours will be maintained city-wide.
The city of Charleston Traffic and Transportation and IT departments are working together to place advanced monitoring and control equipment in affected areas to allow sequencing and signalization to be fully managed remotely. Additional traffic cameras will be installed to aid this effort.
Traffic and Transportation is bringing in additional personnel to actively monitor and manage traffic signalization in real-time during peak hours from the city’s Traffic Operations Center.
Message boards remain positioned downtown on Morrison Drive and Coming Street to provide directional assistance to motorists moving toward the affected areas. Two tow trucks have been stationed in the Cainhoy and I-26 areas within city of Charleston limits.
The Charleston Police Department has brought in additional personnel who are working to assist motorists, and the Fire Department continues to work with their partners to ensure continued coordination of resources.
City department heads and staff will continue meeting daily until further notice, and will continue working to keep citizens informed of any updates.
"For the next four weeks, our job is clear," said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. "We need to make sure our citizens are safe while they're on the road, and we need to assist SCDOT in any way we can to keep traffic moving. Those are and will remain our top priorities until the bridge is reopened."