MORNING NEWSBREAK | Charleston officials today are expected to present an updated plan during a council meeting on the Ashley River Crossing project, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to connect West Ashley and downtown.
The latest plan by Charleston Mayor William Cogswell reportedly includes a cable-stayed swing bridge to go through Brittlebank Park or floating docks, both of which are dramatically different from a previous approved redesign that connected the bridge to downtown’s Medical District.
“He’s making this so unnecessarily difficult” when there’s already an approved redesign, one observer said.
Cogswell is reported to have said the change would avoid safety concerns at the Bee Street and Lockwood Drive intersection.
But Charleston Moves Executive Director Katie Zimmerman said Cogswell’s changes would cause people to bike on Calhoun Street to get to the medical district which she says is known as one of the deadliest corridors in the state.
“On the flip side of that, if we don’t go back to a design for this project that has a direct connection to the Medical District, I don’t think we’re going to see much use of this new bridge,” she added “And that would be a huge shame.”
The current vehicle bridge across the Ashley River poses dangers for pedestrians and bicyclists, according to Zimmerman.
In other headlines:
Board approves new plans for Citadel Mall. Charleston’s Design Review Board has approved a new design development for the Citadel Mall. Board members reviewed a 75-page-long document, outlining some of the design elements that will be considered when the process begins including mixed-use outdoor and indoor properties.
Charleston city officials accept millions in state funds for West Ashley flood relief. Charleston is looking at over 1,700 acres for two flood drainage projects in the Windermere and the Dupont-Wappoo areas in West Ashley, and requesting $1 million in federal aid.
Lowcountry interstate project receives full funding from grant. The S.C. Department of Transportation received $195 million to fund the Long Point Road Interchange Project, a venture that is set to improve several aspects of the I-526 and Long Point Road interchange.
Mount Pleasant celebrates opening of $10M road project. Officials are set to celebrate the completion of Patriots Point Gateway Project Tuesday. The project started in 2022 and was intended to improve the capacity of a very busy intersection.
Charleston Edge Collective launched as CofC’s official NIL program. The College of Charleston Athletic Department announced the official launch of its new name, image and likeness initiative Monday called The Charleston Edge Collective. Officials said the goal is to empower College of Charleston student-athletes to maximize their personal brands and capitalize on their talents.
Charleston research project maps 200 Black graves. Teams with the Preservation Society of Charleston, The Anson Street African Burial Ground Project and Brown Fellowship Society at the College of Charleston have all been working for years to better document sometimes-forgotten Black burial grounds. The teams have documented and mapped a total of 200 Black burial sites across the city.
$3M grant to build North Charleston marine fire fighting training building. The state Department of Veteran Affairs will fund an effort from the North Charleston Fire Department to open the Marine Shipboard Firefighting Training Facility to prepare firefighters for the hazards and risks posed by incidents onboard vessels and in the Port of Charleston area.
Charleston Co. deputies continue helping N.C. residents affected by Helene. Ten Charleston County Sheriff’s deputies are volunteering to help North Carolinians work through the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
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