By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge closed to traffic for just longer than three hours on Thursday, May 16, which re-routed traffic headed onto Lady’s Island and the other Sea Islands over McTeer Bridge and caused significant traffic congestion.
According to an update from S.C. Rep. Shannon Erickson to Facebook, a S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) technician responded immediately after the bridge closed and found that the issue with the bridge was that a piece of the resistance barrier would not return to its normal position after opening the bridge.
The post said that the bridge appeared to have been struck by a “vehicle or a wide load,” which is what bent the resistance barrier and caused the bridge to be able to swing open, but it could not close back.
The bridge, which opened originally for service in 1959, has closed for mechanical issues multiple times in the past year, which is why the SCDOT has begun the undertaking of a $500,000 fix for the gates in late 2023.
According to the SCDOT, the circuits are prone to malfunctioning due to their proximity to the salt water.
Woods Bridge, reopened for traffic around 1:30 p.m. and did not have to be closed again.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
