So the old Cooper River Bridge is falling down.

[oneighty]

Ah the memories.

I drove across the bridge during an approaching hurricane in 58 or so. As a navy diver doing a pier inspection for the corps of engineers my life line and air hose became tangled up in something under the bridge. Scary for a little while.

I drove back and forth from Mt. Pleasant to the old mine craft base at the foot of Calhoun Street on the Ashley River and later to the new base on the Cooper river for the better part of three years.

Goodbye old friend.

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[watrwefitinfor]

1. Thank you for this post.

As a terrified child I always rode across the Grace Memorial Bridge with my eyes closed (but maybe peeping out just a little), in awe and terror of the majestic bridge ahead, and the water so far below. I also thought it was named for a beloved relative who lived in Charleston. :-)

Such a beautiful bridge. So sad to see it come down.

Wat

[watrwefitinfor]

2. Photo Link

Grace Memorial Bridge - R.I.P.



Photo found here:
http://bridgepros.com/bridgepros/projects/CantileverTrussBridges.htm

Most of the photos I found didn't show both spans.

Wat


(Edit to make amends for a contrary keyboard.)

[oneighty]

3. My sister in law sent pictures

She tells me the destroyed section was to be removed from the river bottom within twenty four hours and they have divers down trying to find out what went wrong.

That is a deep muddy bottom. I did a lot of work in the bottom of that river. Good luck salvage people.

Grace Memorial. Darn I had forgotten the name! Thanks for the reminder.

My wife from McClellanville was not a good bridge crosser. Later in my own life I grew cautious of the crossing too.

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[oneighty]

4. Go to writing group.

Look for my story 'The Jumper on the Cooper River Bridge'

oneighty

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[watrwefitinfor]

5. 'The Jumper on the Cooper River Bridge'

Very nice. Thanks again for sharing that. I forget the forums are there for long periods of time. Have to get there more often.

Wat

[oneighty]

6. By the way

Welcome to DU.

My SIL lost her Sullivans Island home to Hugo. The Clam dredge Vicky Mary in McClellanville was destroyed too-by Hugo.

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[Left_Winger]

7. Eventhough this bridge scared the heck out of me

I'm sorry to see it go. It was such a part of the "Chuck-town" skyline.

[KoKo]

8. Sad to see it go....and "blown up," no less.

Didn't get why they had to blow it up, instead of dismantling it...but suppose it would have required to much work.

Will they salvage and sell it as scrap to China?

I remember that bridge and always found it very frightening. If one is height fearful...it was impossible.

Still, in my late teenage years I remember driving over it at night with friends who had probably too much to drink...and how we ever survived, I don't know. :D It's a part of Charleston history and it's sometimes sad to see so much history being "blown up" or "torn down" these days.

I hope they never take down the Ashley River Bridge (which was beautiful in it's hey day with the tall lights.)

The old bridges to Johns Island are now both gone. Changes the whole character of the area to see these sterile white "overpasses" replace the rusting steel, erector set structures with little roofed huts in the middle for the brigekeeper, who had to get out and manually turn a mechanical apparatus to open the bridge, when I was a kid.

[afdip]

9. they're selling some of the steel as scrap and a lot of the

concrete & steel is going to offshore man-made reefs,

[oneighty]

10. When I first drove to Charleston

down Route Seventeen in 1957 I crossed the river into Georgetown on a two lane wooden bridge and I crossed the Santee Delta (North and South Santee Rivers) on wooden bridges. It was just whithin a few years that they were replaced if memory serves me correctly.

Coming off the South River bridge in the head lights of my car I saw what looked to be a mountain lion laying dead by the road. I wanted to stop and look but the loneliness of the area prevented me.

The highway was a narrow two lane concrete surface. The expansion joints filled with tar. It was a noisy road as the tires made a resounding thump thump over each joint. I do not recall a speed limit, but no matter my six cylinder chevy was not a speeder and neither was I.

And finally came the Cooper River Bridge. I had no trouble with it. I turned left down to Calhoun Street and there a right to the old Mine Craft Base on the Ashley River.

Ahhh the memories of THAT Charleston. I met my wife in Charleston she worked at Woolworth's on King Street. We were married in the Court House corner of Meeting and Broad. Our first home together was a walk up on King Street South of Broad.