roofer in Mcclellanville, SC

MCCLELLANVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A bridge in McClellanville washed out amid Sunday’s heavy rains leaving around 100 people isolated, officials said.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said they were assisting the state’s department of transportation in the Silver Hill community after a bridge on Old Cemetery Road washed out.

Rain totals in McClellanville topped 16 inches during Sunday’s storm.

Chief Shaun Gadsden with the Charleston County Department of Public Safety says crews responded to the collapse around 9:30 Sunday night. He says they contacted the county’s emergency management division and the State Department of Transportation, who showed up immediately, so they could identify the problem.

Gadsden adds that at least 500 cars pass by Old Cemetery Road per day, which is causing many neighbors in the area to completely re-evaluate.

One of these neighbors is Bobby Wilson, who says he and his wife were supposed to leave for a two-and-a-half-week vacation Monday morning. Now, he says they’re mainly worried about getting their mail, trying to get to work and especially what would happen if one of them were to need medical assistance.

However, they are trying to keep positive.

“Hey, look on the bright side of things,” Wilson said. “It’s Christmas and nobody’s been hurt. So, it’s all good. I hope DOT comes to our rescue sooner than later so we can get out of here.”

Other residents say they had to call off work, couldn’t go to school or had to cancel doctor’s appointments because the only way they can leave is by foot. There is a pedestrian bridge right behind this road that folks say is the only thing keeping them from becoming an island.

“McClellanville is very resilient,” neighbor Bryan Jones said. “We’re a very strong community. There’s always people on the other side of the bridge who are more than willing to help us out... If we had an emergency, they would be more than willing to give us a car or lend us a ride to town. You know, we feel confident and comfortable in that. We’re happy and thankful that we still have water and power and internet.”

Silver Hill residents are not the only ones shocked from the storm. The Town of McClellanville’s mayor, Rutledge Leland, says this storm was hopefully something they will never experience again.

Leland says he thought it was going to be 3 to 4 inches of rain and maybe 40 miles an hour winds, and this just was completely unexpected. He says the town will be providing the funds to create an alternate route and although he did not have a price estimate, he doesn’t think it will be too bad.

“It shouldn’t be a major expense,” Leland said. “Basically, it will amount to putting in some gravel and clearing a little bit of ground up. Making it to be where it is safe to be able to drive. It won’t be a great road, but it will be an access.”

Leland says SCDOT told him it could be about two weeks for the road to be fully repaired.

“That’s the minimum,” Leland said. “They have to wait two weeks before they can start considering to reopen. That’s kind of an old regulation. I’m not sure what it’s based on. We know we’re out for two weeks.”

The South Carolina Department of Transportation sent this statement around 3:45 p.m. on Monday:

SCDOT is working closely with Charleston County and the Town of McClellanville to create temporary access to the Silver Hill neighborhood following a washout at the bridge on Old Cemetery Road in McClellanville. The bridge and approaches are currently being inspected and SCDOT is developing an expedited repair plan to restore the roadway and bridge. Temporary access is expected to be completed and available later today.

Details on the repair timeline will be provided as they become available and we encourage community members to stay tuned to their local broadcasts and the SCDOT website for updates.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Residents in McClellanville say they are no longer trapped now that Old Cemetery Road has been repaired. Dec. 19, 2023. (WCIV)

MCCLELLANVILLE, SC (WCIV) — UPDATE (12/19/23) - The SCDOT confirmed the bridge has been repaired.

One resident sent photos of SCDOT crews working on the road Monday night.

Nearly 100 people were trapped Monday after the bridge on the only road into a McClellanville neighborhood collapsed during Sunday's Nor'easter storm.

The pedestrian bridge on Old Cemetery Road is currently the only way in and out of the Silver Hill neighborhood after its one road in and out collapsed Sunday due to the historic high tide and heavy rain the storm brought.

To keep the holiday season afloat, one local church is stepping in to help.

People are typically swamped preparing for the holiday season, but this year, some neighbors in McClellanville are seeing an overflow of water instead of packages.

"I've never seen rain like that before," Seacoast Church member Joanna McClellan said.

Seacoast Church in McClellanville has become a hub for deliveries since the usual front door drop off is no longer available due to the road collapsing.

"A few of the town members have set up UPS to come here and deliver the packages this morning. We just want to be here for the town and the community. Bottom line," McClellan said.

But the trip to seacoast isn't easy for some.

"The bridge we usually drive over is a normal, small, two-lane bridge that we rely on everyday, and we don't think about it too much," Bryan Jones, who lives in the neighborhood, said.

"I've never seen so much water, but I had no idea it would be bad enough to take the whole road out," Bobby Wilson, another resident, said.

People who live in the community say they are thankful, as this bridge was also underwater during the storm.

"Living on the water is great but it has its perils. Here we are kind of living on an island," Wilson said.

"The tide was going out, but there was so much rain the water was still rising," Patrick Klim said while kayaking.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is assessing the damage, and as of Monday evening, there is no timeline for when the road will be fully restored.

In the meantime, residents have found new ways to get around.

"I've got some friends in here who are trapped but a couple of them have four wheel drive and have been able to sneak out different ways," Klim said.

Silver Hill residents say they are just happy everyone is safe, and thankful that Santa uses a sleigh to get around instead of a car.

"Merry Christmas everyone," Wilson said.

Last fall, we urged Charleston County zoning officials not to allow a new sand mine operation on 20 acres next door to the St. James Santee Elementary-Middle School, and our call — along with the voices of several school officials and neighbors — was heard when the county deferred the request. Now that the proposal has returned in a slightly improved but still potentially harmful form, we repeat our request to reject the mining operation and urge others to do the same.

We also repeat our call to state regulators to step up efforts to bring South Carolina's outdated mining laws up to date. This proposed sand mine is but one of many such operations that have triggered serious concerns about their impact on neighbors' health and quality of life.

Charleston County’s Board of Zoning Appeals will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday to consider a special exception for the sand mine off U.S. Highway 17 on a wooded tract just across Lofton Road from the St. James Santee school. While the request has been changed so that sand-laden dump trucks no longer would access U.S. 17 via Lofton, the operation still would create noise, vibration, dust and other problems for the school, which sits less than 1,000 feet away.

About 20 trucks are expected to come and go daily from the mining site, which is also about a half mile from the Francis Marion National Forest.

The county’s own analysis has suggested the mining site could mar land with soil types that the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers the best for agricultural production. The county's comprehensive plan notes that "Designation of farmland preservation areas recognizes the importance of preserving Charleston County’s farming resources, including individual farms and areas of productive soils, as well as a way of life valued by the community," and county staff says this mining use may not be consistent with the plan. The staff also notes its proximity to the school may make the mine harmful to the welfare and character of the immediate community.

The Coastal Conservation League's Riley Egger tells us that while the new access road is a positive concession, "it does not alleviate our concern about the appropriateness of the mine site." We urge others with similar concerns to email them to [email protected] by noon Friday.

The looming controversy over a sand mine on Lofton Road points to a greater challenge that South Carolina must still grapple with: updating its mining law and regulations to make them appropriate for the 21st century, particularly as once-rural parts of our state are developing or being valued as conserved parks and lands. There are places where new mines are appropriate, but there are also places — such as neighborhoods, schools and public lands — that need to be protected from these new light industrial operations opening up next door. Our state isn't the same largely rural place it was in the 1970s, when the current regulatory playing field for mining operations was designed.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control has recently worked with a newly formed Mining Task Force, which includes mining companies and conservationists. We urge all involved to get back to the table and produce recommendations that lawmakers can consider next year. Our coastal communities are seeing how a growing demand for sand and fill leads to dusty highways, unwelcome discharges, blight and a scarred landscape with ponds of limited use. Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties alone have had about 100 active sand mining operations in recent years.

Rejecting the Lofton Road sand mining proposal would be an important step to protect the St. James Santee Elementary and Middle School, but until the state updates its outdated mining law, such zoning controversies will continue to take up more of our time that could better be spent somewhere else.

South Carolina’s fishing past and present are alive in a few places along the coast of the Palmetto State. And while much of the commercial fishing industry may be shrinking, these quiet and quaint fishing towns in South Carolina seem frozen in time. It’s a perfect place to spend a day – immersed in these little-changed fishing towns remaining in the state. And who doesn’t love visiting the many quaint and charming South Carolina small towns?

To be clear, there are several bonafide fishing towns along the coast, but these three are especially amazing because they’ve retained the charm of days gone by and managed to set aside space for visitors to enjoy their nostalgic appeal.

The three towns are only an hour and a half apart so we’ve created a mini road trip and mapped them out for you in a handy Google Maps link. Plan your day correctly and you could have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in different charming little old-timey fishing towns along the South Carolina coast! Have fun!

9 Undeniably Fun Weekend Trips To Take If You Live In South Carolina

Fall is the perfect time for this Lowcountry road trip to see three old fishing towns along the coast, although any time of the year will do. Have you visited any of these before? We’d love to know if you’ve ever been to all three on the same day and what are some of your other favorite South Carolina small towns!

If you plan on taking this or any other South Carolina road trip anytime soon, make sure you take a look at our Ultimate Road Trip Essentials Packing List before you hit the road.

More to Explore

Melissa M. | December 14, 2023

What are some of the most charming small towns in South Carolina?

Just about every part of the state offers quaint towns that are worth exploring. Here are some of the most charming small towns in South Carolina worth visiting:

Check out more charming small towns in South Carolina.

What are some of the best seafood restaurants in South Carolina? With its coastal fishing villages, it may come as no surprise that South Carolina offers numerous restaurants that serve up some of the freshest seafood. Here are a few:

Check out these must-visit seafood restaurants in South Carolina.

Concrete culvert pipes (left) and retired tugboat (right) preparing to join the McClellanville Reef roughly 10 miles offshore. (Photo: Kaitlyn Hackathorn/SCDNR)

Anglers and fish alike can enjoy an expanded CCA-McClellanville Reef (PA-34) as of this week.

On Tuesday, March 9, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC) staff took advantage of calm seas and beautiful weather to add a retired tugboat and 24 four-foot diameter concrete culvert pipes concrete culvert pipes to the existing artificial reef in 50 feet of water. The tugboat and culverts joined numerous other structures that form the reef, including remnants of the former Cooper River Bridge, concrete structures and a 105' tugboat. The new reef additions were funded in part by CCA SC and in part by funds provided through the purchase of saltwater fishing licenses. "The Coastal Conservation Association has been a tremendous help to us in getting high-quality material distributed along our coast," said SCDNR artificial reef coordinator Bob Martore. "Vessels like this provide an excellent foundation for a reef community because their complexity attracts a wide variety of species."

Artificial reefs play a similar role as coral reefs, which cannot grow in the temperate waters off the coast of South Carolina. These human-built structures are typically placed on areas of seafloor with little natural relief, improving habitat and spawning grounds for a diverse array of fish and marine life – and in turn attracting recreational divers and anglers.

The retired tugboat begins sinking to join the CCA-McClellanville Reef on the seafloor. (Photo: Kaitlyn Hackathorn/SCDNR)

"Today's deployment marks another fantastic collaborative effort between the conservation community, private industry, and state government that benefits both fish and fishermen" said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director. "Enhancing habitat and expanding access for recreational anglers are two of the cornerstones in CCA SC's coastal initiative plan and we are excited about the additional projects planned for 2021 and beyond."

SCDNR has been constructing artificial reefs to improve offshore fish populations and recreational opportunities for over forty years, sinking everything from bridge spans to military vehicles to subway cars. The environmental benefits of artificial reefs are twofold, as they recycle materials that would otherwise be destined for landfills in addition to expanding critical habitat for offshore fish. Structures intended for artificial reefs undergo a long and rigorous cleaning process to ensure they're safe to sink.

South Carolina is home to dozens of artificial reef sites, the location data for which are free to download to your marine GPS device.