Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
| Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge | |
|---|---|
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The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge as seen from Charleston.
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| Coordinates | 32°48′10″N 79°54′54″W / 32.80278°N 79.91500°WCoordinates: 32°48′10″N 79°54′54″W / 32.80278°N 79.91500°W |
| Carries | Bikes and Pedestrians 8 Lanes of  US 17
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| Crosses | Cooper River |
| Locale |
From: Charleston, SC To: Mt. Pleasant, SC |
| Official name | Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge |
| Maintained by | SCDOT |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
| Total length | 13,200 feet (4.0 km) |
| Width | eight 12-foot (3.7 m) lanes |
| Height | 575 feet (175 m) |
| Longest span | 1,546 feet (471 m) |
| Clearance below | 186 feet (57 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | July 16, 2005 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 78,100 |
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Cooper River in South Carolina, USA, connecting downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The eight lane bridge satisfied the capacity of U.S. Route 17 when it opened in 2005 to replace two obsolete cantilever truss bridges. The bridge has a main span of 1,546 feet (471 m), the third longest among cable-stayed bridges in the Western Hemisphere. It was built using the design-build method and was designed by Parsons Brinckerhoff.
The first bridge to cross the lower Cooper River opened in 1929, eventually named the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge for former Charleston mayor John P. Grace, who spearheaded the project. The main span of the double cantilever truss bridge was the fifth longest in the world at 1,050 feet (320 m) and soared 150 feet (46 m) above the river. The main span of the second cantilever was the twelfth-longest in the world. The total length of the structure was about 2.7 miles (4.3 km). Following a 17-month construction at a cost of $541 million, it opened with a 3-day celebration that attracted visitors from around the globe. Engineers and critics proclaimed colorful descriptions of the unique structure, deeming it "the first roller-coaster bridge" and citing that "steep approaches, stupendous height, extremely narrow width, and a sharp curve at the dip conspire to excite and alarm the motorist." Privately owned originally, a $1.00 toll was charged for car and driver to cross. In 1943 the state of South Carolina purchased the bridge, and the tolls were lifted in 1946.
By the 1960s the Grace Memorial Bridge had become insufficient, with its two narrow 10-foot (3 m) lanes built for Ford Model As and its steep grades of up to 6 percent. Later changes to the side rail and curb reduced the lane width further. A new bridge was constructed alongside and parallel to it. Named for the then-South Carolina Highway Commissioner, the Silas N. Pearman Bridge opened in 1966 at cost of $15 million. Its three lanes, at a modern 12-foot (3.7 m) width, opened to northbound traffic while its older counterpart carried the southbound traffic into downtown Charleston. One lane was reversible on the Pearman bridge, which led to signs warning "Use lanes with green arrow" and "Do not use red X lane" on the bridge.
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