Waterway Closure Announced

Due to the scheduled replacement of the swing span of the Ben Sawyer Bridge the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) will be closed to marine traffic from Monday November 30 2009 at 12:00 A.M. to Wednesday December 9 2009 at 11:59 P.M.

The Ben Sawyer Bridge is a swing span bridge that connects the South Carolina towns of Sullivan’s Island and Mount Pleasant over the Intracoastal Waterway

A safety zone will be enforced around the Ben Sawyer Bridge during the entire 10 day closure. The safety zone will encompass the entire waterway from 180 yards northwest of the bridge and 220 yards southwest of the bridge. No one may enter the safety zone without prior authorization from the captain of the Port Charleston or his designated representative.

Mariners are encouraged to listen to the broadcast notice to mariners for updates on VHF Ch 16. CG Sector Charleston will broadcast the closure as well as the implementation and rescission of the corresponding safety zone for the bridge. Updates to the schedule are dependent on weather and will be made to this MSIB as necessary. For questions regarding the bridge construction call Julie Hussey with PCL at (843) 224-1096 or Kim Partenheimer with PB Americas at (843) 972-1775. For Coast Guard issues please contact the Coast Guard’s 24 hour Command Center Line at (843) 740-7050.