CHARLESTON, S.C. — Drivers heading from West Ashley onto the Charleston peninsula sat at a standstill Friday afternoon, Nov. 13, after the northbound West Ashley Bridge on U.S. Highway 17 jammed in the raised position just ahead of the evening commute.
The Charleston Police Department alerted drivers a little before 4 p.m. that the northbound span would not come down, cutting off that route into downtown. With the bridge up, cars backed up along Highway 17 on the West Ashley side.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation, which maintains the drawbridge, dispatched maintenance technicians to get it lowered. At first the state agency gave police no estimate for when the span would reopen.
Crews got the bridge working again, and traffic started to move at roughly 4:45 p.m. Police warned that the backup would take a while to clear even after the repair.
Commuters who use the Highway 17 crossing can watch for updates from the Charleston Police Department and the state transportation department when the bridge has problems.
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