A proposed pedestrian bridge connecting West Ashley and the Charleston peninsula that has long been championed by local leaders is now estimated to cost $76.5 million, or triple what it was expected to cost in 2019.

A little over a year ago, local leaders celebrated — for a second time — that the project had reached a crucial funding milestone. They had secured $42 million.

But in 2019, they also were celebrating the project being nearly fully funded when it was expected at that time to cost $22 million.

The money for the project has come from a mix of local, state and federal agencies.

In recent months, however, city leaders said inflation and construction costs have forced them to readjust their projections.

“The original engineer’s estimate is much different than the estimates that are happening now,” said Jason Kronsberg, Charleston parks director and the project manager for the effort.

Recently, the Berkeley-Charleston- Dorchester Council of Government, along with the S.C. Department of Transportation, agreed to set aside an additional $27 million toward the project via federal funds that the two agencies have discretion over. The allocation comes with the expectation that the city, which is taking the lead on the project, will contribute $7 million to reach a goal of $76.5 million to fully fund the project.

That funding will come from a surplus in tourism and hospitality tax dollars collected by the city.

In total, the city’s contribution to the project will now reach $13 million.

It’s not the only project proposed before the pandemic that has seen costs balloon.

Last year, Charleston County leaders faced sticker shock when the price tag for the Mark Clark Extension linking West Ashley to Johns and James islands more than tripled to $2.35 billion, with the county responsible for most of the bill. That estimate has recently been reduced to about $2.2 billion.

Those involved with securing funding for the West Ashley pedestrian bridge project say they are still committed to seeing it move forward. Not only a recreational amenity, the project has been billed as a way to give people in West Ashley easier access to downtown, especially those who do not own cars. Some have been injured and killed trying to cross the current U.S. Highway 17 bridges by foot or bike.

The bidding process for choosing a design and construction firm closes at the end of the next week. City Council is expected to vote on a design-build contract for the project in the next few months, Kronsberg said.