The Ben Sawyer Bridge Has Always Kept a Schedule. This Fall, Sullivan's Island Learned It

Since late October, the Ben Sawyer Bridge has swung open for boats at three set times a day: 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week. Each opening takes 25 minutes or more, and the longer the bridge stays closed to cars, the longer the traffic takes to clear.

The fixed times are temporary. When repairs are finished, the bridge goes back to its regular schedule, which federal regulation sets with protected weekday windows and on-the-hour openings on weekends. Knowing that schedule, the repair calendar and the island events ahead makes it possible to plan a crossing.

How Three Openings a Day Began

On October 19, a mechanical problem kept the swing span from locking into place. The bridge closed, traffic was sent to the Isle of Palms Connector, and SCDOT crews worked overnight on a temporary repair, WCBD reported.

That fix reopened the bridge to cars, but it came with limits. In his November message to residents, Mayor Pat O'Neil explained that SCDOT has barred very heavy trucks while the temporary repair is in place. He added that senior SCDOT officials assured him heavy loads did not cause the problem. The temporary repair also makes each boat opening a longer job, so SCDOT cut routine openings to the 10, 2 and 7 schedule. The mayor's note makes a simple point about traffic: the longer the bridge stays closed to cars, the longer the line takes to clear.

The weight limit matters beyond the island's own driveways. Speaking to WCBD, South Carolina Trucking Association president Rick Todd said a restriction like this "determines where they can go and then how long that particular service route becomes, and then that's a cost." The same report said deliveries, construction projects and other businesses that depend on commercial trucks could be affected.

Repair work since then has come in short overnight and early-morning closures:

The Post and Courier called the October 31 closure the bridge's third in two weeks. After the October 26 work, Sullivan's Island Police Chief Glenn Meadows passed along that the bridge engineer had confirmed the bridge was safe for travel, Island Eye News reported.

As of October 23, SCDOT leaders projected the permanent fix would be done by the end of November, possibly sooner. The mayor wrote that the usual opening schedule, which is set by federal law, will likely return at that point.

The Timetable That Was There All Along

That "usual opening schedule" is a specific regulation, 33 CFR 117.911. The U.S. Coast Guard sets it because the bridge crosses the federally maintained Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. For the Ben Sawyer, it works like this:

• Weekday commute windows. Monday through Friday, the draw does not have to open from 7 to 9 a.m. or from 4 to 6 p.m. Federal holidays are excluded from this rule.
• Weekend and holiday daytime. On Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., the draw only has to open on the hour.
• All other times. The bridge opens when a vessel signals for it.
• Standing exception. Public U.S. vessels and tugs with tows pass on proper signal at any time.

On a normal weekday, the morning school run and the evening return fall inside those windows, when the draw does not have to open for boats. Midmorning, midday and evening crossings are when an opening is more likely to catch you. This is general information about the published rule and not legal advice, and the live cameras listed below show what the bridge is actually doing.

Weekends are even easier to predict. Between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. the span only has to swing on the hour, so a trip timed to cross at a quarter past or half past avoids the most likely opening.

Federal holidays follow the weekend rule. On those days the weekday 7 to 9 and 4 to 6 windows do not apply, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. the draw only has to open on the hour.

A Swing Span With a Record of Its Own

The October breakdown is the latest of several on a span that has been rebuilt once already.

1. 1945. The original bridge opens, according to the Town of Sullivan's Island.
2. 1989. Hurricane Hugo heavily damages the swing span.
3. 2010. A major rehabilitation is completed. SCDOT's 2008 contract announcement called for new steel for the swing span, new electrical and mechanical systems, and improved approaches. The original substructure underneath was kept.
4. May 2019. Heat and thermal expansion leave the bridge slightly stuck open. SCDOT traces the problem to a plate that was binding, ABC News 4 reported.
5. July 11, 2023. After a boat opening, an electrical problem keeps the bridge from locking. Traffic is held until about 6:30 p.m., per WCBD.
6. October 19, 2026. The span again fails to lock into place, and three fixed openings a day follow.

The 2023 and 2026 failures were both locking problems, about three years apart, and in 2023 the failure came right after a boat opening.

Checking the Bridge Before You Leave

Mayor O'Neil's November message also lists the tools for checking the bridge in real time.

• SCDOT 511. 511sc.org and the "511 South Carolina Traffic" app include live cameras on the Ben Sawyer and the causeway, along with the Ravenel and I-526 bridges.
• Everbridge. The town sends emergency notices by text or email.
• TOSI Talks. Town updates cover schedule changes, services and upcoming meetings.
• The monthly town newsletter.

The mayor's sign-up link for all three town channels is bit.ly/4yHIVOT. In his own November message, Town Administrator Joe Henderson said event routes, parking details and road impacts will go out through those same channels as they're available.

The Island Calendar Still to Come

The next few months bring gatherings that draw people from across the harbor, and every one of them reaches the island over the same bridge. Here is the calendar as the town has published it:

• Monday, November 16, 10 a.m. The Town Council's Public Facilities Committee, chaired by Councilmember Carl Hubbard, takes up the proposed boat and trailer ordinance again. The draft would ban parking boats and trailers in street rights-of-way except during a two-hour window. It passed first reading in September, and Council deferred it after residents raised concerns in October. The mayor is asking for comments at [email protected] whether or not you can attend.
• Tuesday, November 17, 6 p.m. Regular Town Council meeting. SCDOT lists a nighttime lane closure with flaggers on the bridge the same night.
• Friday, December 4. Sullivan's Island Station Lighting & Fireworks.
• Monday, December 7, 6 p.m. Town Council workshop.
• Friday, January 1, 2027. The Sullivan's Island Polar Plunge, which the town says draws thousands of residents and visitors into the ocean.
• Saturday, January 23, 2027, 8 to 11 a.m. The Charlie Post 5K starts at the Fish Fry Shack. Expect temporary traffic impacts nearby.

Henderson's message says SCDOT crews are working to finish repairs ahead of the busy holiday season. If that happens, the Station Lighting and the Polar Plunge will fall under the regular federal schedule.

Hospitality has always meant planning the small details, and on Sullivan's Island that includes the bridge. If you're hosting family for the holidays and want help planning around crossing times, or you're weighing a move on or off the island and want to know how the Ben Sawyer fits into daily life, Gus Bright is glad to talk it through. Schedule a private consultation.