Socastee Swing Bridge
Socastee Swing Bridge – crosses the ICW at Statute Mile 371
33 41.240 North/079 00.269 West
Closed vertical clearance 11 feet
Opens on Demand. Closures may be required every 15 minutes when vessel traffic is heavy.
NOTE: Because of heavy traffic to two schools within a half-mile of the bridge, the bridge will not be able to turn between 7:45AM and 8:15AM on school days. All other times is “on demand” unless traffic becomes heavy, as on a weekend, then bridge closures may be required to every 15 minutes to accommodate road traffic.
VHF Hailing Frequency – Channel #9
Telephone Number – 843-347-3525
Editor’s Note: See /163041
Comments from Cruisers (6)
I absolutely agree they need to go back to the old ways of not opening the bridge during school traffic.
It doesn't matter how early we leave for school in the morning especially with Forestbrook road and Dick pond road being under construction. The same guy every morning and in the afternoon during school release has to leisurely take his stupid looking sailboat and hold up traffic by going back and forth… I swear to God sometimes I feel like he does it on purpose… one of these days I'm going to park down at the swingbridge park and figure out who this dude is and where he lives and figure out why he does this every single day during school drop off and school pickup it's like he specifically times at like clockwork to make sure it only interferes with school.
Today is May 11, 2026 8:24 in the morning. We have been sitting in traffic for over 20 minutes at the light thank God we didn’t have to make a left to the swing bridge but even traffic going to the right towards the 544 was major. I don’t understand why the bridge operator continues to open the swing bridge when it was clearly between 745 and 815 that it is listed they will not usually open it. People are being late, dropping their kids off to Forestbrook elementary and middle school, and it is an hour where most of the population is trying to get to work. Very frustrating and very unprofessional. These people on boats are there for leisure they have all the time in the world children don’t have a choice. There are consequences to being tardy and consequences with jobs for being late. Shame on the operator!
We have been across the Socastee Swing Bridge by car. It carries a 4-lane road that is very busy with local traffic during the day. Be patient with the bridge tenders here, because they have a job that make them unpopular with boaters AND THE LOCAL PEOPLE who use that bridge every day.
Any updates as to opening schedule ?
Hi Ronnie,
As you can tell by reading all the links and comments re “historic” Socastee Bridge attached to its listing, its opening schedule is a very local issue and subject to much variation. While it can be an annoyance to cruisers, you have to give the community credit for fighting for the right to be “local” and not just another high-rise concrete arch.
There are still some of us old-timers who miss the delays, annoyances and communicating with tenders when navigating the many, now former, swing, bascule, floating, etc. bridges that once made the Waterway a place to slow down, step back in time and enjoy. Not another interstate.
Talk to the bridge tender when you get there; they are nice folks who like their jobs and who like boaters.
Good luck,
Larry
This bridge is a pain, you never know what to expect. They built a new high rise bridge next to it so I don’t understand why they cannot abide to there on demand status.
TTB