The Ashley River Crossing, a planned bike-and-pedestrian bridge over the Ashley River, is targeted for completion in summer 2027, although other reports have placed its opening later that year. The span will link downtown Charleston's hospital district with West Ashley, creating a direct route across the water for cyclists and walkers.
According to the Charleston City Paper, Charleston City Council member Ben D'Allesandro, whose district includes the downtown end of the bridge, said the project is moving along in a timely manner and staying on schedule. Councilman Ross Appel, who represents the West Ashley side, echoed that assessment, saying the project remains on schedule and on budget. Construction on the crossing began in January 2025, and the bridge has been described by city leaders as relatively short and flat, a design meant to make walking and biking across the river easy for a broad range of users.
Other recent reporting has offered a slightly different timeline. Charleston Moves reported in July 2026 that construction was about two-thirds complete and on track to open in fall of 2027, while a February 2026 city committee document had scheduled the project for completion by midsummer 2027, according to the City of Charleston. The Charleston City Paper's more recent account points to a summer 2027 target, leaving the exact opening window somewhat in flux depending on the source.
Design Features Aim to Handle Heavy Foot and Bike Traffic
Mobility advocates and city leaders expect a high volume of users once the bridge opens, and the design reflects that anticipation. The crossing is planned to connect the West Ashley Greenway, the Maryville Bikeway and the downtown medical district, stitching together several existing bike and pedestrian routes into one continuous path. On the West Ashley side, the bridge will tie into the existing greenway before crossing the river just south of the U.S. Highway 17 vehicular bridges, per the Post and Courier.
The downtown landing is planned to include an elevated landing pad and pedestrian roundabout connecting to Brittlebank Park and Bee Street, along with a safe slip lane intersection designed to reduce conflicts between bridge traffic and nearby roads. The Post and Courier's report described a similar roundabout branching toward Lockwood Drive, Bee Street and Brittlebank Park. The bridge will also include a dedicated Ashley River viewing platform for pedestrians and cyclists to stop and take in the water.
A Swing-Span Design Built for River Traffic
Engineering-wise, the bridge relies on a cable-stayed, swing-span design intended to let boats continue passing beneath it. The Engineering News-Record described the feature as a 225-foot-long cable-stayed center swing span built specifically for the passage of marine traffic, a detail that has drawn attention from the engineering trade press as a notable first for a U.S. pedestrian bridge of this kind.
The project has not had a straightforward path to this point. City officials say the Ashley River Crossing went through several iterations and design phases after years sitting in development limbo before construction finally got underway in January 2025.
Funding Comes From a Mix of Government Sources
The bridge is estimated to cost around $90 million upon completion, with that estimate covering both the bridge itself and surrounding intersection upgrades meant to improve safety for people biking and walking nearby. The project is largely funded by the federal government, with additional contributions from the City of Charleston, Charleston County, the State of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina.
ABC News 4 reported in October 2024 that the project’s price had risen from roughly $22 million in 2019 to nearly $100 million. That figure differs from the roughly $90 million completion estimate cited by city officials more recently.
What the Cost Figures Show
The reported totals mark a substantial increase from the 2019 figure, but the available figures do not identify which scope changes account for it. The roughly $90 million completion estimate includes the bridge and nearby intersection upgrades. City of Charleston Ways and Means Committee minutes from September 24, 2024, listed a project budget of $87,135,077.78 and said a professional-services contract would obligate $6,732,427.04 of that amount.
For now, city leaders are framing the bridge as a regional asset rather than a neighborhood amenity. D'Allesandro said the bridge will benefit the entire region and city, a sentiment that reflects the scale of a project meant to connect two sides of Charleston that have long been separated by the Ashley River itself.
