The York County Sheriff’s Office has issued a safety notice following the ticketing of five individuals for trespassing after they were caught jumping from a bridge into Lake Wylie. Authorities are emphasizing that the area is dangerous and are advising the public to avoid jumping from the Concord Road Bridge, which is located near Duke Energy’s Catawba Nuclear Station.
This warning comes in the wake of a tragic incident last year when a teenager died after jumping from the bridge. Despite longstanding warnings from Duke Energy, many young people continue to leap from a private catwalk beneath Concord Road into the lake below.
Although Duke Energy owns the land surrounding the bridge, they do not own the bridge itself. The company has installed fences and posted “no trespassing” signs, but these measures have proven insufficient in deterring people from accessing the hazardous area.
Officials from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the York County Sheriff’s Office are making concerted efforts to keep individuals away from the site through regular patrols. However, they acknowledge that they cannot monitor the area continuously.
The bridge itself falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, which is responsible for implementing additional security measures to enhance safety and prevent future incidents.
