Iconic Beaufort County bridge is being replaced. Work on the new bridge will start soon
Drivers traveling Beaufort County’s sea islands will see construction activity at a key crossing starting this month and lasting for years.
The Harbor River Bridge will be replaced and a work on a new fixed bridge is expected to break ground early next year. Work started this month to bore under the river to bury a water line running under the current bridge.
For almost 80 years, the charming swing bridge has opened for countless shrimp boats, fishing charters and sailboats cruising through Beaufort County on the Intracoastal Waterway. The new bridge will be tall enough to allow boats to pass unimpeded and traffic to continue flowing.
A wider crossing is touted as a safer alternative to the narrow two-lane bridge that RVs, campers and large trucks have to cross to reach Harbor, Hunting and Fripp islands.
And the fixed bridge will prevent issues like one Sunday night, when traffic was temporarily halted after someone struck a crossing arm that lowers when the bridge opens.
“Some people are against it. I think that’s crazy,” said Charles Gay, looking out toward the bridge from the parking lot of Gay Fish Company, his family’s business on St. Helena Island.
Gay said some might be concerned the taller bridge will affect sweeping views of the marsh and river but that the wider bridge should be welcome, noting a recent crash that blocked traffic both ways for hours. Shrimp boats traveling to and from the Gay Fish docks, some sportfishing boats from Fripp Island with tall towers and cruising sailboats traveling from Charleston to Savannah all require the bridge to open, Gay said.
That will soon no longer be an issue.
The $54.7 million bridge project was awarded last year to United Infrastructure Group and will be paid for with state and federal funds.
The new two-lane bridge will be 3,300 feet long, with a 65-foot clearance and could be finished by late 2021. Lanes will be 12-feet wide, with 10 feet of shoulder on each side.
A platform constructed along the road just before the bridge on St. Helena Island will allow heavy machinery to bore 100 feet under the river during the next week and a half, said Denis Ozowara, construction manager for the water line project. About 3/4 of a mile of pipe will be run underground to supply Fripp Island’s water and other utilities, he said.
Once the new bridge is complete, the old bridge will be dismantled and could be sunk as an artificial reef. Gay said he has been approached by the company contracted for the demolition to lease part of the property at Gay Seafood Co. for barges to travel back and forth during demolition.