20-05-2025
Mount Pleasant conducts underwater and above-water inspections on Shem Creek
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – The Town of Mount Pleasant began conducting a portion of its above-water inspections in Shem Creek.
Crews were looking above and below some of the boardwalks and bridges at Shem Creek, ensuring that they are up to National Bridge Inspection Standards. The town makes safety a priority for the popular destination for tourists and locals.
'First is safety, safety is always first with Mount Pleasant town government. So, it was done four years ago. We try to make sure every bridge and boardwalk is inspected at least every five years, and this is every four years,' Will Haynie, mayor of the Town of Mount Pleasant, said. '[It] gets a lot of traffic out there, we want to make sure. Also, it's exposed to some pretty corrosive elements out there.'
In addition to the above-water inspections, divers are expected to come to the creek on Wednesday and do checks underwater. There will be a safety boat in the water during that time. Officials urge boaters and pedestrians to keep a safe distance as the crews look for wear-and-tear on the materials.
'They are trained, they know what to look for. To look for any signs of weakening, any corrosion, wood – even though it's treated wood or cement pylons depending on where it is. It can be corrosive, it can eat away things at the base of it from tidal action or propeller action – you can have sand or sill moving,' said Haynie.
The mayor added that because the town owns this boardwalk, they must regularly maintain it as it's a high traffic area.
'I mean one – most towns don't have a creek like that with restaurants, shrimp boats, kayaks and recreational boats out there,' Haynie said. 'Two, to have it basically encircled with public boardwalks is quite a blessing to have, but the price of that is you have to consistently monitor them for safety and you have plan for the maintenance and for the repairs.'
As this is a routine inspection that evaluates the immediate safety, it also serves as a way for the town to plan ahead of time in case there is an emergency in the future.
'It helps us with the long-term financial planning for the town. Replacing something like that can be very expensive, and if we were to have to, we need to know that way ahead of time instead of us scrambling on an emergency basis,' said Haynie.
The work is expected to be complete by May 23.
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