The Talmadge Memorial Bridge is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

spanning the Savannah River between downtown

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, and Hutchinson Island. It carries US 17/ SR 404 Spur. The original bridge was built in 1953; a replacement bridge was completed in 1991, also referred to as the Talmadge Memorial Bridge.

History

The original Talmadge bridge was a cantilever truss bridge built in 1953. It eventually became a danger for large ships entering the Port of Savannah, home to the largest single ocean container terminal on the U.S. eastern seaboard, and the nation's fourth-busiest seaport. A replacement better able to not impede maritime traffic was completed in March 1991. The new Talmadge Memorial bridge is a

cable-stayed A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

bridge.

Name

The structure is dedicated to

Eugene Talmadge Eugene Talmadge (September 23, 1884 – December 21, 1946) was an attorney and American politician who served three terms as the 67th governor of Georgia, from 1933 to 1937, and then again from 1941 to 1943. Elected to a fourth term in November ...

, who served as the Democratic Governor of Georgia in 1933-37 and 1941–43. The replacement bridge was originally suggested to be named for the Native American Creek leader

Tomochichi Tomochichi (to-mo-chi-chi') (c. 1644 – October 5, 1741) was the head chief of a Yamacraw town on the site of present-day Savannah, Georgia, in the 18th century. He gave his land to James Oglethorpe to build the city of Savannah. He remains a p ...

, an important figure in Savannah's founding in 1733. After public forums on the issue, the original name was restored for the new structure.

Proposals for renaming

Talmadge was an old-school conservative Southern Democrat, who pursued then-popular and openly racist objectives such as restoring the

white primary White primaries were primary elections held in the Southern United States in which only white voters were permitted to participate. Statewide white primaries were established by the state Democratic Party units or by state legislatures in South C ...

and enforcing segregation of the state universities. He also struck out against opposing centers of power, using martial law to dismiss state boards that opposed his measures as well as arrest both strikers and strikebreakers alike, actions which led to him both being accused of being a dictator as well as being a friend of the "common man." Talmadge's legacy has caused some in Savannah to oppose letting him have the prominent honor of the bridge named for him, including Savannah's City Council. However, renaming the bridge is decided at the state level by the legislature, where there is considerably more sympathy for Talmadge. In September 2017, Savannah City Council passed a resolution to rename the bridge the "Savannah Bridge". A state representative said, "It's time to move forward on a bridge that reminds us of segregation and not solidarity and a name that connects to hate and not hope." It is ultimately up to the Georgia state government to confirm the passed resolution. Another proposal, pushed by the Girl Scouts, is to rename the bridge after

Juliette Gordon Low Juliette Gordon Low (October 31, 1860 – January 17, 1927) was the American founder of Girl Scouts of the USA. Inspired by the work of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of Boy Scouts, she joined the Girl Guide movement in England, forming her own g ...

, a Savannah native who founded the Girl Scouts. One argument that the pro-renaming faction has raised is that the 1991 bridge may never have actually been formally named at all in the records, meaning it was never the Talmadge Memorial Bridge to begin with.

Dimensions

The new bridge provides of vertical navigational clearance for oceangoing vessels. Its horizontal clearance is , with both main piers located on the north and south banks of the Savannah River. With a main span of and a total length of , the new Talmadge Memorial carries four lanes of traffic. The north end of the bridge ends on Hutchinson Island, an island situated between the Savannah River and the Back River. A separate, older, two-lane bridge spans Back River, connecting Hutchinson Island with

Jasper County, South Carolina Jasper County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,791. Its county seat is Ridgeland and its largest city is Hardeeville. The county was formed in 1912 from portions of ...

Comparison with Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and the Sidney Lanier Bridge

The proximity and rivalry between Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah and Brunswick often lead to comparisons between the

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (also known as the Ravenel Bridge and the Cooper River Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge over the Cooper River in South Carolina, US, connecting downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The bridge has a main span ...

, the

Sidney Lanier Bridge The Sidney Lanier Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Brunswick River in Brunswick, Georgia, carrying four lanes of U.S. Route 17. The current bridge was built as a replacement to the original vertical-lift bridge, which was twice ...

, and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, all of which carry US 17. Completed in 2005, the clearance under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is actually only taller than both the Sidney Lanier Bridge and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. Unlike the Sidney Lanier Bridge and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, however, the Ravenel Bridge has eight travel lanes; the Talmadge and the Sidney Lanier both have just four lanes. The Ravenel also features a dedicated bike/pedestrian lane. The Talmadge Memorial Bridge also has a similar design as the

Alex Fraser Bridge The Alex Fraser Bridge (also known as the Annacis Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge over the Fraser River that connects Richmond and New Westminster with North Delta in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia. The bridge is named for Alex Fraser (19 ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia.

Replacement considerations

Savannah is currently undergoing expansion, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP), so the port can accommodate newer, larger vessels. In September 2018, ''

Savannah Now The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South Ca ...

'' reported officials thought the Talmadge Bridge may need to be replaced if the port was to service

Neo-Panamax Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...

vessels.

References

External links

* {{Savannah, Georgia Roads in Savannah, Georgia Buildings and structures in Chatham County, Georgia Road bridges in Georgia (U.S. state) Monuments and memorials in Georgia (U.S. state) Cable-stayed bridges in the United States Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Route 17 Crossings of the Savannah River Bridges completed in 1991