The Ben Sawyer Bridge is a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

that connects the town of Mount Pleasant with Sullivan's Island in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. The bridge swings on its central axis to open for boat traffic which is too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator's house in the center of the swing span from which a tender can operate the bridge. The bridge was originally constructed in 1945, but the steel superstructure for the approach spans and swing span was replaced in 2010, albeit retaining the same general appearance. The bridge originally cost about $775,000 (substructure, superstructure, and approaches) for the 247 foot span (total 1,154 length) with a 32 foot clearance (at high tide). The bridge is approached on both sides by a causeway; applications for the dredging were filed in July 1941. The contractor was to dig a 50 foot wide channel through the mud which would then be filled with dredged sand from the nearby waters. Although the preliminary work moved forward, progress on the superstructure of the bridge was held up for many months due to the lack of steel during World War II; the military supported the completion of the project, though, and the project moved forward again starting in 1943. The bridge opened to traffic on June 18, 1945. Prior to completion of the Isle of Palms Connector Bridge in 1993, the Ben Sawyer Bridge provided the only vehicular access to Sullivan's Island, and, by a connecting bridge,

Isle of Palms An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

. The bridge was heavily damaged during

Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful Cape Verde tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread damage across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. Across its track, Hugo affected approximately 2 million peop ...

, leaving one end of the main span in the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

. Pictures of the damaged bridge are some of the most recognizable lasting images of the destruction wrought by the storm. It was subsequently repaired and reopened to traffic in October 1989.

Rehabilitation project

A $32.5 million rehabilitation of the Ben Sawyer Bridge was approved by the

South Carolina Department of Transportation The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services. By state law, the SCDOT's function and ...

(SCDOT) in August 2008. The rehabilitation was tendered as a Design/build Contract by the SCDOT. The Engineer of Record was Hardesty & Hanover, LLC and the General Contractor was PCL. The project began in January 2009 and was completed in February 2010. The project included replacement of the aging steel superstructure including the swing-span section with a new swing-span truss and operating machinery retaining the historic look of its predecessor. In addition, each traffic lane was widened from 12 feet to 14 feet, and the sidewalks on both sides were replaced by a single one on the harbor side only. The bridge closed temporarily on February 7, 2010, for removal of the old span and installation of the replacement span, which was lifted into place from

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

s using hydraulic jacks on February 11. The bridge reopened to traffic on February 19, 2010.

Origin of the name

The Ben Sawyer Bridge is named in honor of Benjamin Mack Sawyer (1890–1940), Chief Highway Commissioner of the South Carolina Highway Department, 1926-1940. His name was suggested as a name for the bridge in April 1945.

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline Swing bridges in the United States Road bridges in South Carolina Buildings and structures in Charleston County, South Carolina Transportation in Charleston County, South Carolina Steel bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1945

Rehabilitation project

Origin of the name

See also

References

External links