SCDOT Discusses Ben Sawyer Bridge Plans

..We're not so happy...
SCDOT's main engineer for the forthcoming reconstruction of the Ben Sawyer Bridge linking Mt. Pleasant and Sullivan's Island says he's unaware of Mount Pleasant's plans for improving traffic (including bike/ped traffic) on the Ben Sawyer causeway.
Dan Burton appeared Tuesday evening before the Isle of Palms City Council, detailing the schedule for construction and addressing questions about implications for traffic. This June, he said, the new bridge would be erected next to the existing bridge, and that the new structure would be moved over to replace the old one in a one-week period at the end of October or the beginning of November. The bridge will be closed completely for a period of one week for the operation, and the firm dates would be announced for motorists and mariners alike later this year.
But after the meeting, Burton told me he didn't know that Mount Pleasant planners were considering improvements to the causeway and indicated that even if he did know of such plans, it probably wouldn't affect how bicycle and pedestrian traffic is directed over the span. When I explained that we were speaking only about painting lanes on the road, he stood firm, saying he couldn't be sure that there was sufficient width for bicycle/pedestrian lanes.