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General Information

Other name(s): New Cooper River Bridge
Beginning of works: 1964
Completion: 29 April 1966
Status: demolished (16 July 2005)

Project Type

Location

Location: , , ,
, , ,
Address: U.S. Route 17
Crosses:
  • Cooper River
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
Show coordinates on a map

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.

Relevant Web Sites

  • About this
    data sheet
  • Structure-ID
    20002333
  • Published on:
    14/11/2001
  • Last updated on:
    02/08/2020
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