Speak up about restrictions Ladies Island Bridge in Beaufort!

[coachmiami]

For those that travel up the ditch east coast - Beaufort SC as of May 3 has restrictions on the Ladies Island Swing Bridge that have gone over the top.

They now only open between 9am and 3 pm on the hour only! Nothing between 3pm and 9am in the morning.

That means no more sailboats going from Beaufort and making Charleston or the other way around!

Please send an email to anyone you can think of to protest this ridiculous move. To have to sit in Beaufort until 9am on a Sunday morning to get through a bridge is almost criminal IMO.

This is the email I sent to the SC gov, all state reps, Beaufort officialdom and the CG.

I had to send the state people one at a time through their offices...


Barry.Dragon@uscg.mil
cc: William.G.Tate@uscg.mil,
gkubic@bcgov.net,
wprokop@cityofbeaufort.org,
LtGovernor@scstatehouse.gov

-----------------------------
Sir,

I am sitting at anchor in Beaufort on the way north on the intracoastal waterway we use twice a year as it is the highway for ALL boats moving up and down the coast.

We could go outside of the canal, however we would miss stopping and exploring towns we really enjoy - like Beaufort.

However, as we move at 6mph, our timing is crucial for leaving in the morning to make certain destinations.

For the Ladies Island Swing bridge to be closed on Sunday morning until 9am is in my opinion not only ridiculous (what traffic is up at 6am Sunday morning!) but almost criminal.

You are depriving me (and the other boats here ready to go) our right to use the waterway unnecessarily - unless I am missing something.

We will now be forced to stop somewhere shy of Charleston, which costs me a day and costs me contacts I had planned.

I do not know the revenue generated by boaters stopping in places like Beaufort (we have spent $300 while here) but it is immaterial to the discussion of use of the passageway both by water and by vehicle.

To restrict the bridge to this degree is onerous to the extreme and I protest vehemently.

Regards,

[jcapo]

Opens on demand from 1800 to 0630 M-F, weekends, and holidays . Not a lot of help for daylight travel but not closed completely as stated by the OP.

Ladys Island Bridge Responds On-Demand Weekends (Statute Mile 536). | Cruisers' Net

Edit: Scroll down that page to get to the bridge listing link.

[Waterway Guide]

Yep...the bridge tenders are not happy about it either – they assumed that weekends/holidays would not be included.

The USCG regulation had commercial vessels under the restriction too, and the tenders pleaded with them that the tugs and barges are on schedule and cannot stop, so the Coast Guard is letting the bridge open for commercial vessels (and you can go through, too, if there's an opening).

[dennisjay]

We also sat for more than an hour this morning waiting for a 9 AM opening. They were very few cars coming over the bridge. Used to love coming into Beaufort. But no more. We will plan our passages on the outside.

Obviously, city and county officials are no fans of sailing vessels.

[cheoah]

Jcapo that post on cruisers net is dated by several years unless I'm missing something.

I'm confused about who's domain this is. I would think the state of SC would control the bridge schedule, not the coast guard. Why would the coast guard care if commercial or non-commercial craft get openings on demand? It's a road traffic and budgetary issue I would guess.


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[jcapo]

Originally Posted by cheoah

Jcapo that post on cruisers net is dated by several years unless I'm missing something.

Its is. I tried to link directly to the bridge schedule page but it redirects back to that old discussion page for some reason. Scroll down a bit and there is a link on that discussion page to the bridge schedule.

[dennisjay]

Coast Guard has jurisdiction on ICW bridges. Beaufort city and county officials petitioned the CG to allow them to reduce openings, claiming it was costing too much money. Screw Beaufort.

[sabreline]

The initial message in this thread is incorrect. Between 6PM and 6:30AM the bridge opens on demand! There is no opening between 6:30-9AM. This represents a minor change, since prior to this the restriction was 7-9AM In the afternoon, the restriction is 3-6PM (previously 4-6PM). Between 9AM and 3 PM, the bridge opens on the hour. That provides 6 openings during the day and unlimited openings at night! With some planning, that should accommodate all boaters. I am a boater AND a Lady's Island resident and believe me, the restrictions are WAY overdue!

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by coachmiami

For those that travel up the ditch east coast - Beaufort SC as of May 3 has restrictions on the Ladies Island Swing Bridge that have gone over the top.

They now only open between 9am and 3 pm on the hour only! Nothing between 3pm and 9am in the morning.

That means no more sailboats going from Beaufort and making Charleston or the other way around!

Please send an email to anyone you can think of to protest this ridiculous move. To have to sit in Beaufort until 9am on a Sunday morning to get through a bridge is almost criminal IMO.

This is the email I sent to the SC gov, all state reps, Beaufort officialdom and the CG.

I had to send the state people one at a time through their offices...


Barry.Dragon@uscg.mil
cc: William.G.Tate@uscg.mil,
gkubic@bcgov.net,
wprokop@cityofbeaufort.org,
LtGovernor@scstatehouse.gov

-----------------------------
Sir,

I am sitting at anchor in Beaufort on the way north on the intracoastal waterway we use twice a year as it is the highway for ALL boats moving up and down the coast.

We could go outside of the canal, however we would miss stopping and exploring towns we really enjoy - like Beaufort.

However, as we move at 6mph, our timing is crucial for leaving in the morning to make certain destinations.

For the Ladies Island Swing bridge to be closed on Sunday morning until 9am is in my opinion not only ridiculous (what traffic is up at 6am Sunday morning!) but almost criminal.

You are depriving me (and the other boats here ready to go) our right to use the waterway unnecessarily - unless I am missing something.

We will now be forced to stop somewhere shy of Charleston, which costs me a day and costs me contacts I had planned.

I do not know the revenue generated by boaters stopping in places like Beaufort (we have spent $300 while here) but it is immaterial to the discussion of use of the passageway both by water and by vehicle.

To restrict the bridge to this degree is onerous to the extreme and I protest vehemently.

Regards,

It may just be an issue of having a crew available to fix the bridge if it jams. It is older than dirt. It should have been replace years ago mechanically but your $300 isn't a drop in the piss pot if you consider what portion goes to infrastructure. Sorry for your minor inconvenience.

[dennisjay]

It's attitudes like that that won't make me miss Beaufort.

It may be a minor inconvenience to locales, but it's a major hassle for us trying to make anchorage 70 miles away, especially in bad weather.

I agree with a previous post that it's ridiculous not to open the bridge before 9 on Sunday mornings.

[domander]

In order to infuriate the reader, or perhaps bring a smile... I'll just interject the curious note that the island in question is actually named Ladys Island. Yes, it is a surname, and Ladys is the correct spelling, or so I've been told. However, even residents are confused, as they will spell it Lady's and even Ladies. I know... who cares? :-D

I've spent a few peaceful nights anchored in Harbor River.

- Brian Domander

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by domander

In order to infuriate the reader, or perhaps bring a smile... I'll just interject the curious note that the island in question is actually named Ladys Island. Yes, it is a surname, and Ladys is the correct spelling, or so I've been told. However, even residents are confused, as they will spell it Lady's and even Ladies. I know... who cares? :-D

I've spent a few peaceful nights anchored in Harbor River.

- Brian Domander

Your right on the spelling. Haven't been there in years. It was a beautiful place, as was Beaufort and all of the SC Sea Islands. Unfortunately I think those days are gone, the rustic places. Not meaning to stir the pot, but boo hoo, plan on the layover for the bridge openings for the inconvenienced sailor. Go outside if the planned anchorage was that important, Charleston didn't go away.

[Hudson Force]

We took the 9am opening saturday morning and anchored in the South Edisto River. Now we are in the Stono River and plan to be through Elliott Cut and in Charleston wednesday. We don't always take five days to cruise from Beaufort to Chaleston, but never one. We've often anchored inside Brickyard Point, Parrot Creek, Bass Creek, the Coosaw River, South Edisto, the Wadmalaw, Church Creek and the Stono River.

I'm not discounting the need for a faster schedule for those with limited time, but the wilderness anchorages have some great advantages over the cities and towns.

I remember waiting for the Limehouse Bridge and even waiting three days for an opening at the Skull Creek Bridge at Hilton Head when these were not 65' fixed bridges. A high fixed bridge will be the only ultimate cure for the Ladys Island problem.

Another option for those that want to avoid the bridge delay would be to anchor just north of the Ladys Island Bridge at the entrance to Factory Creek after visiting Beaufort.

I'd like to see the weekends without the restriction; however, I'm cruising and not easily stressed!

[AnchorageGuy]

Here are the current restrictions and schedule...

This deviation is effective from 8 a.m. on May 3, 2015 until 6 p.m. on August 2, 2015. This deviation will allow the Lady’s Island Bridge in Beaufort, South Carolina to remain closed to navigation from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. the bridge will open on the top of the hour. At all other times the bridge will open on demand. Any vessel that can safely transit under the Lady’s Island Bridge while closed may continue to navigate under the bridge during this deviation.

The U.S. Coast Guard must approve all bridge schedules, restrictions and closings. The Ladys Island Bridge restrictions were granted by the Coast Guard after a request from the City of Beaufort because of traffic issues from the opening and closing of the bridge. There was a comment period prior to the new schedule. THEN is when a response may have been helpful. The Coast Guard decided to make the changes even though the overall response was against the proposed changes. After August 2, 2015 the Coast guard will consider whether to make the changes permanent. The Coast Guard is where your objections need to go and NOT to local officials. Chuck

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by AnchorageGuy

Here are the current restrictions and schedule... ................... Chuck

Thanks Chuck, This makes things pretty easy for anyone to be northbound at 6:00am and make Charleston in good time. In addition, those southbound would still have time to settle in Beaufort after 6:00pm.

Many would still be disappointed, but it doesn't prohibit the opportunity to make the trip in a day.