“There’s an app for that…” rings true for so many things these days. Apps sure help make life easier to navigate, whether it’s work, play, finances, entertainment, you name it.
And now there’s a handy new app that makes it easier to navigate around Charleston and its surrounding islands.
Water, water everywhere!
It’s a running joke around here that back in the day, Charlestonians used to proudly proclaim that Charleston is “where the Cooper and the Ashley Rivers converge to form the Atlantic Ocean.”
That may be a bit of an exaggeration. But it’s a fact that one of the Charleston area’s great charms is its proximity to water. Be it the ocean, rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, the Intracoastal Waterway - it’s everywhere, it’s beautiful, and it’s just waiting to be explored.
After all, what would Exclusive Properties’ fabulous Isle of Palms oceanfront rentals be, without the ocean?
With water, come bridges…
When you have all this water, you’re gonna have a lot of bridges.
Of course the most well known around here is the majestic Ravenel Bridge, linking Mount Pleasant to downtown Charleston. With its distinctive double diamond shape and pedestrian and bike lanes overlooking Charleston Harbor, it’s an icon of the Lowcountry. It’s the site of the beloved annual Cooper River Bridge Run, not to mention a very scenic way to head downtown from the Isle of Palms.
The Ravenel Bridge is quite high, tall enough for the massive cargo ships to pass underneath on their way to the SCSPA Wando Welch Terminal and other shipping ports up river.
The Lowcountry also has many bridges that aren’t nearly as tall, like the Isle of Palms Connector. It’s a fixed bridge that’s a simple way to get to your Isle of Palms vacation rental.
Charleston’s charming drawbridges
This area is also home to three cool drawbridges:
- The Ashley River Memorial Bridge
- The Wappoo Creek Bridge, aka the Wappoo Cut Bridge
- The Sullivan’s Island Bridge, aka the Ben Sawyer Bridge
The Sullivan’s Island Bridge is the closest one to our Isle of Palms luxury rental homes. It’s of the style that pivots to the side, while the other two are the kind that lift open. Interestingly, the Sullivan’s Island Bridge was damaged during Hurricane Hugo. Sullivan’s Islanders were given the choice to change the bridge design to a higher fixed position bridge, but they voted to keep the original old fashioned swing drawbridge style.
Pros/cons of a drawbridge
Drawbridges harken back to a simpler age, of castles and moats, back when time moved a bit slower. They require you to stop and watch the boats slowly drift by.
They can also be a bit of a challenge if you’re on a schedule, trying to make it to a dinner reservation or show at the Gaillard on time. They don’t operate on a regular schedule, but on demand as boat traffic approaches them. So you never know if you’re gonna get caught by the bridge en route to your destination.
TheBridge APPS to the rescue!
Thankfully, a savvy South Carolina native by the name of Alex Holroyde decided to create an app to help you plan your drive around the drawbridges.
TheBridge APPS is a very user friendly, FREE app that shows in real time when the area’s three drawbridges are open to boat traffic. It’s got a clean, cool design that's easy to track. It relies on a combination of live camera analysis powered by AI, plus community reporting, to give the current status of the bridges.
The “Double Check” feature lets you see current live cameras of each bridge.
You can even get push notifications in real time, telling you when a bridge opens to boat traffic - and when it reopens to vehicle traffic.
Under the Today tab, they throw in cool extras like the current weather, tide (rising or falling), events happening today, and news. The Community tab shows a calendar of upcoming happenings like shows and concerts.
Currently, TheBridge Apps cover three cities in South Carolina - Charleston, Beaufort and Myrtle Beach. Check out the Gallery at the bottom of the page for images from the app.
How to get the app...
It’s easy as going to the App Store or Google Play. TheBridge APPS is free and available both for iOS and Android devices.
TheBridge APPS will help plan your travels around town while you’re here in an IOP beach house. Contact us at EP and we’ll help you book the perfect property for your stay.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger
Ravenel Bridge photo credit by Stephen Walker on Unsplash
