Structure 1303 · Charleston County, SC

Sc 703 over Intracoastal Waterway

Carries Sc 703 over Intracoastal Waterway, Between Sulvans Is/mt Ple.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck7/9 · Good
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,154 FT OVERALL250 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9Superstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

1,154 ft end to end: about 3.2 football fields. Lengths and the semi-truck on the deck are drawn to the same scale. Each part is colored by its latest inspection rating. The inventory records lengths but not heights or the layout of the shorter spans, so those are drawn as typical for a swing bridge (drawn closed).

Built1945rebuilt 2010
Length1154.2 ft351.8 m
Daily traffic15,500counted 2023
Last inspectedNovember 2024every 24 months

Location

StateSouth Carolina
CountyCharleston
LocationBetween Sulvans Is/mt Ple
CarriesSc 703
CrossesIntracoastal Waterway
Coordinates32.77272, -79.84205

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignMovable - Swing
Total Length1154.2 ft (351.8 m)
Max Span247.0 ft (75.3 m)
Deck Width36.4 ft (11.1 m)
Deck Area3905.0 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1945 (reconstructed 2010)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic15,500 (2023)
Truck Traffic3%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionNovember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000001303

How Bridge Ratings Work

Inspectors rate each major part of a bridge (the deck you drive on, the superstructure of beams that holds it up, and the substructure of piers and abutments beneath) on a 0–9 scale. A bridge's overall condition is its lowest of those ratings, so one deteriorated component makes the whole bridge "poor."

0Failed
1Imminent failure
2Critical
3Serious
4Poor
5Fair
6Satisfactory
7Good
8Very good
9Excellent
Good · lowest component 7–9
Fair · lowest component 5–6
Poor · lowest component 0–4

A poor rating is not a closure. It means the bridge is flagged for priority repair or replacement; bridges judged unsafe are closed or posted with weight limits. The waterway (channel) rating is reported, but it does not count toward the overall classification.

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