Hundreds of cyclists and advocates rode across the North Bridge on Oct. 2, connecting North Charleston and West Ashley to demonstrate their support for making the road safer for cyclist and pedestrians.
“THIS is what an abundantly clear demand for change looks like,” the nonprofit group Charleston Moves, which organized the ride, tweeted. “THANK YOU to each of you who came out to our #betternorthbridge Ride last weekend. We had over 250 people ride with us — united to demand better.”
The cyclist rode across the bridge and back from Freehouse Brewery with a police escort, a total of about eight miles, Charleston City Paper reported.
There aren’t any sidewalks or emergency lanes for anyone to cross the bridge unless they are in a vehicle, the story said. A number of cyclist have been killed while crossing the bridge, including a 23-year-old Texas man this summer, the newspaper reported.
Charleston County is studying the corridor with an eye towards building a pedestrian bridge, according to Charleston City Paper.
Funding has been approved for a bike and pedestrian bridge a few miles down the river. The project is under review by the city and federal transportation officials, the story said.
Renderings of the “Ashley River Crossing” bridge show it as a 150-foot drawbridge on the south side of the existing channel opening, Charleston City Paper said in July.
The bridge could be completed by 2025 or earlier.
