The Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge (known locally as the Woods 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 downtown Beaufort with Lady's Island and the outer

Sea Islands The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Southeastern United States. Numbering over 100, they are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of South Caroli ...

in Beaufort County,

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 = ...

. Originally named Lady's Island Bridge, it was renamed in 1971 in memory of Richard V. Woods (1935–1969), who was a

South Carolina Highway Patrol The South Carolina Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for South Carolina, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state except for federal or military installations. The Highway Patrol was created in 1930 and is an organization with a ran ...

officer killed in the line of duty. It was opened on December 17, 1959, replacing an earlier swing-bridge that was built 1927. The bridge swings on its central pier to open for boat traffic that is too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator's station in the center of the span from which an attendant can operate the bridge. Due to the presence of 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 t ...

, the bridge is required to open frequently for boat traffic to pass through. The bridge was featured in the film '' Forrest Gump'' (1994) as a stand-in for a bridge across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. In the film, Forrest Gump is interviewed by television reporters about his cross-country running trip while crossing the bridge. In January 2023, the bridge was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, under its original name, Lady's Island Bridge.

Gallery of images

Image:Woods Bridge at Night.jpg, A view of the bridge at night from Downtown Beaufort's Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park Image:Woods Bridge from Ladys Island.jpg, The bridge is shown from Lady's Island. Image:Woods Bridge Open.jpg, The bridge is shown in the open position to allow a sailboat to pass. File:Crossing the swing-span section of Woods Memorial Bridge (2009).jpg, Roadway view on the swing-span section

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Woods Memorial Bridge (Beaufort, South Carolina) Swing bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Beaufort County, South Carolina Transportation in Beaufort County, South Carolina U.S. Route 21 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Beaufort County, South Carolina