9 Beautiful Bridges to see in Charleston, South Carolina

9 Beautiful Bridges to see in Charleston, South Carolina

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Charleston, South Carolina has a lot to see and experience. From the Antebellum homes to beautiful gardens, horse-drawn carriages, and many more. As you prepare your trip to this beautiful city, you will notice there are many bridges around the area. You will even use some of them when moving around. Each and every one of them has a very rich history behind it, and here are nine of them!

1. Arthur Ravenel Jnr Bridge 

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The Arthur Ravenel Jnr Bridge was opened in 2005. The bridge, which stretches gracefully across the Cooper River. The bridge took five years to build and is the tallest structure in South Carolina and the longest stayed bridge in the area. The construction of the bridge came about because of the South Carolina Department of Transport’s need to ease traffic from the Pearman and the Great Memorial Bridges. The bridge measures about 470 meters, is 200 feet above the water, and has two 600 feet towers and has eight lanes, a pedestrian walkway/ cycling lane, and two roadway interchanges. Which connects the Mount Pleasant Towns to Charleston and was designed to withstand natural disasters like earthquakes, and hurricane winds, as well as incorporating two diamond-like concrete towers. 

2. Wappoo Creek Bridge 

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On Folly Road in Charleston, South Carolina is the Wappoo Creek Bridge, which connects West Ashley to James Island. The bridge crosses the Stono River to the west and Ashley River to the East. The double draw bridge was opened in 1956, and the fun fact is, it will only draw on request and also only opens at certain times. The span is about 33 feet. The bridge is named after the Wappoo Indians, and the idea to build a bridge on the area came about in 1896, but the companies around there refused and blocked the building of the bridge since they thought that it would affect their shipping business. A wooden bridge was constructed, one where people crossing had to pay a toll fee, and in 1918, it was bought by the county, which upgraded it to a concrete and metal 434-foot-long bridge in 1926. Many adjustments were done over time and in 1956, the current bridge was opened to the public.

3. John P. Grace Memorial Bridge 

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The John P. Grace Memorial Bride, also known as the Grace Memorial Bridge and Cooper River Bridge was opened in August of 1929, and at that time was the longest span bridge in the world! The bridge served Charleston for about 50 years before it was considered obsolete in 1979. The bridge measured 1050 feet between the two supports and was 20 feet wide. Harry F. Barkerding and Charles R. Allen formed the Cooper River Bridge Inc. to aid in the construction of a bridge that would connect Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The Copper Bridge changed its name in 1943 to John P. Grace Memorial Bridge. The bridge was hit by Nicaragua Victory, a boat in 1946, causing extensive damage to the span and five people lost their lives. Since the construction of the bridge has taken more money than anticipated, tolls had been introduced during the opening of the bridge but were done away with, in 1946. As time went by, and as the population of the area grew, the bridge was not able to handle all the traffic and the county had to plan for two other bridges; the Silas N. Pearman, and the Arthur Ravenel Jnr Bridge which was opened in 2005. 

4. New Cooper River Bridge 

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The three-lane, two-mile-long bridge was opened to traffic in 1966. The bridge, also known as Silas N. Pearman was constructed to assist the Grace Memorial Bridge with the traffic crossing the Cooper River in Charleston, but the two are now obsolete and were replaced by Arthur Ravenel Jnr Bridge. The bridge is 150 feet above the water and was built by the South Carolina Department of Transport and designed by the HNTB Construction. The bridge was demolished in 2005, but one of the piers was left as a monument of sorts, so motorists can see it as they use the new bridge.

5. Don N. Holt Bridge 

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The bridge was opened in 1992, by the South Carolina Department of Transport. The Don N. Holt Bridge is 155 feet above the water, is named after Drawty Norton Holt Jnr who served in the House of Representatives between 1975 and 1993. The bridge is a three-span, truss bridge which crosses the Copper River and connects Daniel Island and Mount Pleasant to North Charleston. The owners of the paper mill near the location of the bridge filed a lawsuit to stop the construction of the bridge because they claimed that it would almost be the height of the smokestacks from the mills and the smoke might cause fog on the bridge. 

6. Stono River Bridge

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The Stono River Bridge is also known as The Paul Geletois Bridge and connects Johns Island to James Island at SC 700. The Stono Rebellion, one of the first rebellions against slavery in the US took place at the current location of the Stono Bridge. The new bridge was opened in 2003, is about 7,300 feet long, and has four lanes, two opened in 2003 and two in 2004; it also has a vehicle emergency lane though it doesn’t have provision for a pedestrian or cycling lane. 

7. McKinley Washington, Jr Bridge 

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This bridge, which crosses the Dawhoo River connects the Edisto Island to the Mainland- South Carolina. The bridge was officially opened in 1993, replacing a two-lane- electricity-powered bridge that had been in use since 1950. The McKinley Washington, Jr Bridge was named after a statesman who served South Carolina at the house of Representatives from 1975 to 1990. The steel girder bridge is about 5,584 feet long and about 54 feet wide and has a total of 97 spans.  

8. General William C Bridge 

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Connecting North Charleston with the West Ashley areas of South Carolina across the Ashley River is the General William C Bridge, also known as Westmoreland Bridge. The two-span stringer bridge was opened in 1980 and is 40 feet wide, 3,907 feet long.

9. James B Edward Bridge 

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The James B Edward Bridge started its operations in 1990 and crosses River Wendo. The bridge is 7, 900 feet long, both bridges are 44 feet wide each, and has 92 cables. The twin concrete box girder bridge connects Mount Pleasant with Daniel Island and was named after the former South Carolina Governor James Edward, who also once served as Secretary of Energy. The bridge, also known as the Wando River Bridge is maintained by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.