By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Beachgoers rejoice, for the causeway leading to Sands Beach in Port Royal is now open for public use, which means that vehicles can now drive onto the beach once more.
Sands Beach is rare among beaches in Beaufort County, as vehicles are allowed to drive up to and park on the beach.
Now, after three months of construction, visitors can access the beach without damaging their cars due to tidal holes and dips in the sand thanks to the new wooden causeway that opened to vehicular traffic on Friday, June 6.
The causeway, constructed by Greenway Bridge Company, out of St. Augustine, Fla., had previously opened to pedestrians at the end of May.
At 150 feet long and 24 feet wide, the wooden bridge is made from wood and has a section for vehicles to drive on and a separate part for pedestrians.
It is located where the Battery Creek and marsh meet and is constructed with pilings that were driven 25 feet deep, a foundation made from a concrete and rubberized stabilization system, sand used to level out the approach to the causeway on both sides and is capable of handling 20 tons.
The beach, which is completely accessible to vehicles except for a small portion closest to the water’s edge, is a favorite among locals who drive there to see the sunset, watch dolphins feed and search for sharks’ teeth.
It is open at dawn and closes at dusk.
The bridge cost $1.5 million and was paid for by federal COVID-19 relief funds.
The announcement of the causeway opening was first made on social media, drawing mostly positive comments from the community.
On Facebook, the post has been liked more than 600 times, has been shared more than 60 times and has attracted more than 100 comments.
While most comments are positive, there were concerns raised about safety and size of the causeway, stating that the causeway appears to only be wide enough to allow one vehicle to use it and could be problematic when the beach is busy.
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.
