When the Ben Sawyer Closes: Sullivan's Island's Other Way Home This Holiday Season

Early in the evening of Oct. 19, the main span of the Ben Sawyer Bridge swung back toward Sullivan's Island and failed to lock into place. The bridge closed to cars. It stayed closed overnight, and drivers were sent to the Isle of Palms Connector, as The Post and Courier reported. Crews made a temporary repair, and the bridge reopened at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, according to ABC News 4.

The three weeks since have followed a pattern. Nearly every planned closure has come after dark or before dawn, so the bridge has mostly affected the island's evenings. Over those weeks, the island's second land access through Isle of Palms and across Breach Inlet became the route home at night. It will matter again whenever the bridge closes during the holiday season.

What Broke, in SCDOT's Words

The Ben Sawyer is a swing bridge. It pivots to let boats pass on the Intracoastal Waterway, and then it has to settle and lock back in line with the road. That locking step is where it failed. SCDOT spokesperson Tyler Fedor explained the cause in an email to The Post and Courier:

"Specifically, a component of the bridge meant to help raise and lower the bridge so it can pivot malfunctioned and damaged other components as it swung back into place."

So one failed part damaged others, and the repair turned into a series of jobs. Each SCDOT notice since then has described a different stage: removing damaged concrete, then work on the bridge foundations, then permanent repairs to keep the span working reliably.

A Repair Schedule Written for the Night Shift

These are the vehicle closures from the malfunction through the most recent announcement:

Only the first night was unplanned. Every closure after it fell between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. That kept daytime school runs, workday commutes and beach traffic moving. The cost landed on anyone coming back to the island late at night. Each window was announced separately, too, so the schedule changed week to week. In a Nov. 5 report, WCBD News 2 said overnight work usually ran from about 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., with no set schedule for maintenance closures.

Daytime traffic changed in other ways. After the temporary repair, Sullivan's Island police told trucks over 13,000 pounds to use the Isle of Palms Connector, according to The Post and Courier's account of the first days. For a while the bridge also opened for boats only at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day.

The Island's Second Land Access

The Town lists two land connections to Sullivan's Island. One is the Ben Sawyer route from Mount Pleasant. The other is Jasper Boulevard over Breach Inlet, from the south end of Isle of Palms. When the swing span is closed, the way home is the Isle of Palms Connector onto Isle of Palms, then across Breach Inlet on Jasper Boulevard onto the island's east end. The Post and Courier reported that Sullivan's Island police pointed drivers to the Connector during the Nov. 4 closure.

How much time the detour adds depends on where you start. From the Ben Sawyer end of Mount Pleasant, the trip loops north to the Connector, then all the way down Isle of Palms before you cross back onto Sullivan's. If your house sits near Breach Inlet, the detour mostly means a different approach to the same driveway.

SCDOT's road-conditions list for this period shows the Ben Sawyer work but no separate closure on the Breach Inlet bridge or the Isle of Palms Connector. On the Isle of Palms side, the city is taking bids for adaptive signal equipment at Palm Boulevard and 14th Avenue, with detection cameras and queue detection. That project is still at the bid stage.

Who the Night Closures Reached

Because the work happened at night, the people most affected were those coming home after 9 p.m. and the places that serve them. Jamie Maher, general manager of Dunleavy's Pub, told WCBD News 2 that "my late night business has been affected," and that some customers were leaving earlier to avoid the longer route.

So a closure night shapes how the evening goes. Dinner at Dunleavy's still works on a 9 p.m. closure night. Finishing up after 9 means driving home through Isle of Palms. Relatives heading back to Mount Pleasant after a visit face the same choice. A text alert before dinner settles which route you need.

Where the Bridge Stands This Week

As of Nov. 8, SCDOT said the structural repairs, intermittent for weeks, were "nearing completion." It described that night's closure as the final work to restore access to the bridge's maintenance areas, as ABC News 4 reported. Boaters saw improvement first. Sullivan's Island police said on Nov. 6 that the bridge was back to its normal schedule of marine openings, The Post and Courier reported.

Two notes remain on SCDOT's own pages. Its statewide bridge list still labels SC 703 at the Ben Sawyer as "Load-Capacity Restricted." Its road-conditions list also shows a right-lane closure with flaggers on the bridge for an inspection on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. That is a lane closure, so traffic keeps moving under flaggers, again after dark.

December Brings More People Onto the Island

In the Town Administrator's November message, dated Oct. 26, the Town asked residents to expect more people walking and biking on island streets and sidewalks as cooler weather settles in. The same message asked drivers to plan ahead and allow extra time while SCDOT worked on the bridge before the holidays. The largest date on the island's calendar is the Sullivan's Island Station Lighting & Fireworks on Friday, Dec. 4. The Town says event routes, parking information, road impacts and schedules will go out through its notification services as details are set.

Holiday guests often head to Fort Moultrie at 1214 Middle Street. The National Park Service lists the fort's grounds, parking area and restrooms as open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All park sites close on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Daytime outings like these run well clear of the overnight bridge windows that have defined this fall.

The Alerts That Arrive Before the Closure

This fall's closures were announced one at a time, often only a day or two ahead. The Nov. 8 closure was posted on Nov. 6. These channels deliver the notice:

• TOSI Talks: the Town's text service for news and meeting notices. Text "Hello" to (855) 675-8674 to sign up, per the Town's notification page.
• Everbridge: the Town's emergency notification system. Alerts can cover road closures, severe weather, water main breaks and public works projects. Sign up through the same Town page.
• The Town's monthly newsletter: this is where the Dec. 4 event details are expected, and the Administrator's November message links to it.
• SCDOT's traffic page: it links to 511SC for live traffic and cameras, the Road Conditions application for construction and maintenance closures, and the load-restricted bridges map. Find all three on SCDOT's travel page.

With TOSI Talks and Everbridge on your phone, a 9 p.m. closure turns into a routine choice of route home through Isle of Palms.

At Ellen O'Neil, we follow changes like this because they shape daily life on Sullivan's Island, from the late drive home to the evening your guests leave. If you're wondering how the bridge, the Breach Inlet route or the island's calendar fits into plans for your own home, let's connect.