General Information
| Other name(s): | New Cooper River Bridge |
|---|---|
| Beginning of works: | 1964 |
| Completion: | 29 April 1966 |
| Status: | demolished (16 July 2005) |
Project Type
| Structure: |
Through truss bridge |
|---|---|
| Function / usage: |
Motorway bridge / freeway bridge |
| Material: |
Steel bridge |
| Structure: |
Cantilever truss bridge |
| Material: |
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Location
| Location: |
Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina, USA Mount Pleasant, Charleston County, South Carolina, USA |
|---|---|
| Address: | U.S. Route 17 |
| Crosses: |
|
| Next to: |
John P. Grace Memorial Bridge (1929)
|
| Replaced by: |
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (2005)
|
| Coordinates: | 32° 48' 8.86" N 79° 55' 47.50" W |
Technical Information
Dimensions
| main span | 290 m | |
| width | 13 m | |
| height | 42 m |
Materials
| foundations |
reinforced concrete
|
|---|---|
| truss |
steel
|
| deck of approach viaducts |
prestressed concrete
|
Chronology
| 1963 | Designated to replace Grace Memorial Bridge. |
|---|---|
| 1964 | Construction begins. |
| 1965 | Re-designated to be used only for northbound traffic of US-17. |
| 1965 | Third lane made reversible. Trucks to be banned on the old bridge. |
| 1966 | Completed, dedicated and opened to traffic. |
| 1989 | Retrofitted after damage by Hurricane Hugo. |
Notes
This bridge and Grace Memorial Bridge are to be replaced by a new 8-lane cable-stayed bridge in 2004. Both bridges will be demolished including approaches.
Excerpt from Wikipedia
The Silas N. Pearman Bridge, known locally as the New Cooper River Bridge from the opening date to the groundbreaking of its replacement, was a cantilever bridge that crossed the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It opened in 1966 to relieve traffic congestion on the companion John P. Grace Memorial Bridge. It was built by the South Carolina Department of Transportation and was designed by HNTB Corporation.
Design
At the time it opened, it consisted of two lanes to carry US 17 northbound traffic and one lane that was reversible. The two lanes of the Grace Bridge were then made to carry only southbound traffic. In this manner, the reversible lane could be used in the direction of heavy traffic in the mornings and evenings as Mount Pleasant was effectively a bedroom community at the time.
History
Once the Grace Bridge was posted with a load limit and could not carry large trucks, the reversible lane was made southbound permanently. This made sure that trucks had access across the Cooper River at all times. Unfortunately, this also meant that there was always oncoming traffic on the Pearman Bridge. Fatal head-on collisions on the Pearman Bridge led to a debate about constructing a barrier to separate traffic. The debate was resolved when the transportation department installed plastic delineators on the bridge during its final years.
Demolition
Both bridges were replaced by the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge in 2005. Demolition on the Pearman Bridge started on August 6, 2005. One of the piers was intentionally left standing as a sort of memorial to the bridge, and can be seen by motorists getting onto the new bridge from East Bay Street in Charleston.
Text imported from Wikipedia article "Silas N. Pearman Bridge" and modified on August 5, 2020 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.
Participants
Relevant Web Sites
- About this
data sheet - Structure-ID
20002333 - Published on:
14/11/2001 - Last updated on:
02/08/2020
