Image by S.C. DOTImage by 20091109-bridge.jpg A rendering of the new span.

A seven-day closure of the Intracoastal Waterway near Mount Pleasant has been pushed back again to "no sooner than November 30."

Earlier this year the closure was expected to start in the middle of November so the span of the aging Ben Sawyer Bridge could be replaced.

Here's the latest info on the closure, from the project's Web site:

SCDOT and PCL Civil Constructors, Inc., the Design Build Contractor for the Ben Sawyer Bridge, have determined the potential start date for the Ben Sawyer Bridge Rehabilitation Project's necessary Intracoastal Waterway closure will be no sooner than November 30, 2009. The roadway closure of Ben Sawyer Boulevard at the Ben Sawyer Bridge is expected to begin approximately three days after the waterway closure.

The announcement of this potential start date does not guarantee the Intracoastal Waterway closure will begin at 12AM on Monday, November 30 because the exact dates and hours of the Intracoastal Waterway cannot be determined this far in the future.

This announcement enables boaters traveling on the Intracoastal Waterway under the Ben Sawyer Bridge and motorists traveling to and from Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms along Ben Sawyer Boulevard to know their plans will not be impacted by the bridge's waterway closure prior to November 30th or the road closure prior to December 2, 2009.

The closure window was initially set by the Design/Build Contract between the South Carolina Department of Transportation and PCL Civil Constructors, to occur sometime between October 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, but not between December 15th and January 3rd. At the end of September 2009, the window was narrowed to occur sometime between November 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. In the beginning of October, the window was narrowed to occur between November 11 to January 31, 2010. This announcement narrows the closure window even further to November 30, 2009 and January 31, 2010, but not between December 15 and January 3.

The waterway and road closure are necessary to replace the Ben Sawyer Bridge originally constructed between 1943 and 1945. During the waterway and road closure, the existing bridge will be moved and new approach spans and a swing span will be pulled into place onto the foundations of the existing bridge.

You can keep up with the latest by watching our Ben Sawyer Bridge topic page.