Charleston Eyes West Ashley Riverbank For Ashley River Crossing Connection
The city may buy — or potentially condemn — land near the round Holiday Inn to create a key link for the pedestrian and bicycle bridge now under construction.
The official Ashley River Crossing project is meant to connect West Ashley and Downtown Charleston and provide a safe connection between the West Ashley Greenway, Brittlebank Park, and the Ashley River Walk. The city says construction is ongoing and on schedule.
The broader project is a major bike/ped investment. The East Coast Greenway Alliance describes it as a roughly $100 million investment that would connect the West Ashley Greenway to the downtown peninsula and help create a nearly continuous 30-mile trail segment through Charleston County.
HDR, the project’s engineering partner, notes that the two Highway 17 bridges carry more than 63,000 vehicles per day and that narrow sidewalks and heavy traffic have created safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists.
