{"id":2005,"date":"2026-06-23T15:08:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2005"},"modified":"2026-06-23T15:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:08:25","slug":"after-pedestrian-death-can-gervais-bridge-handle-coming-riverfront-foot-traffic-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2005","title":{"rendered":"After pedestrian death, can Gervais bridge handle coming riverfront foot traffic?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After 24-year-old Michael Derrick was killed while walking on the Gervais Street Bridge three weeks ago, leaders and pedestrian advocates say concerns about the bridge\u2019s safety can\u2019t be pushed away.<\/p>\n

Read more Child found bullets at Finlay Park prior to teen fights, festival cancellation<\/a><\/p>\n

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Derrick died after he was hit by an SUV, driven by a drunk driver, and thrown off the bridge while walking on the bridge\u2019s sidewalk May 31, Columbia police said. The driver, William Joseph Livingston, was charged with felony DUI resulting in death.<\/p>\n

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The recent death has elevated long-standing criticisms of the narrow, nearly century-old bridge, which drivers and pedestrians know can be unforgivingly tight.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s only going to happen again,\u201d said Regan Freeman, executive director of Palmetto Walk Bike, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for safer streets in South Carolina. \u201cPeople are going to die again, full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Amplifying concerns about the bridge\u2019s safety is its inevitable role in Columbia\u2019s future riverfront trail system. The city is actively developing a new park and greenway on the Congaree riverfront, and the Gervais Street Bridge will be a vital junction between that park and the already-popular West Columbia and Cayce riverwalks.<\/p>\n

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Leaders say they need to find a way to build and pay for a pathway across the river that better protects the public who will use the continuous trail system that has been promised for so long.<\/p>\n

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With the city\u2019s new greenway expected to open in coming years, safety advocates say the question must be answered now.<\/p>\n

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A future riverfront nexus<\/h2>\n

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The Gervais Street Bridge is already a connection between downtown Columbia and West Columbia, but as recreation projects meant to bring more people to, and across, the river take off, leaders worry it could become a choke point.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s undeniable, the time is now,\u201d to start planning new safety measures, said Columbia Councilman Will Brennan, noting Columbia\u2019s new greenway could be welcoming visitors in two to two-and-a-half years.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJust imagine, 200, 300 people, kids on bikes, that\u2019s going to be a pretty big issue,\u201d Brennan said.<\/p>\n

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Columbia is in the process of developing a \u201cworld-class\u201d riverfront park just south of the bridge, including a new greenway on Columbia\u2019s side of the river. The park itself is being planned by a design firm that has touched some of the nation\u2019s largest attractions, and when finished it is expected to be a major regional draw.<\/p>\n

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When the new park\u2019s greenway is finished, there will be 27 miles of continuous trails along Columbia\u2019s riverfronts, city plans promise.<\/p>\n

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