Links
New Construction
Building a
Bridge * by Charleston.net
Aerial
view of the existing Grace Bridge & a computer generation of the new
proposed Bridge by Parsons, Brinckerhoff
Completed Structure
Grace
Memorial Bridge - data base entry
News Articles:
Sverdrup
Civil Designs Cooper River Bridge Company Press Release
02-08-2000
Mayor Concerned with 'big' Bridge by Charleston.net
01-10-2000
House
Boosts Bridge by The Post and Couier 03-27-1997
Money
ain't where it used to be by The Post and Couier 10-07-1996
Replacing
the Cooper Bridge question of how, not when by The Post and Couier
10-06-1996
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
Between Charleston, South Carolina (USA) and Mount Pleasant, South
Carolina, stands the Grace Memorial Bridge. Completed in 1929, the
cantilever steel structure has a main span of 1050 ft., or 320 m. and a
total length of 3.6 miles or 5.79 Kilometers. A parallel bridge,
with a similar design but a shorter main span, was built in 1966.
This allowed the old bridge to be converted to one-way traffic. The
bridges have navigation clearance of 135 ft., or 41.15 m.. PROJECT
UPDATE as of 10-15-2001 The
project replaces both the Grace Memorial Bridge and the Silas
Pearman Bridge. The new bridge will be called the Arthur J. Ravenel, Jr.
Bridge. (So calling the project the Grace Memorial Bridge may be
incorrect.
Cooper River Bridge or Ravenel Bridge would be more accurate.)
A notice to proceed for the Design-Build contract was given on July 16,
2001. Contract substantial completion date is July 15, 2006. There is an
interim completion date required for moving southbound traffic from the
Grace Bridge--which has a 5 ton vehicular weight limit--to the new
structure. as of 6-25-01 A contract with the
apparent lowest bidder, Palmetto Bridge Constructors, is expected to be
signed at a July 2 groundbreaking. The Transportation Commission is
to sign off on the contract at a June 28 meeting. Financing is a
combination of federal, state and local tax money and includes a $215
million federal loan. Total construction will be for $631 million, making
it the most expensive bridge project in S.C. history. as of 4-13-2001 Charleston County Council members voted Thursday to
guarantee local tax money for a new Cooper River
bridge, the final piece of the financial puzzle that
has eluded local leaders for more than a decade. The
6-3 vote, which will likely be affirmed at a formal
council meeting Tuesday, could mean construction of a
new bridge would begin as early as this summer. as of
1-27-2001
Charleston city officials want a say in what a new Cooper
River bridge will look like. State transportation officials want to
control costs and get a bridge built.
The two sides ran headlong into each other Friday, leaving no clear
consensus in their wake. To begin in earnest a community discussion
over what the bridge will look like, Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr.
formed a design committee of local architects and city officials.
They want to give the new bridge, as Riley put it: "The Charleston
treatment." State transportation engineers balked, saying the
department is proceeding with a bridge design that it believes to be the
least costly and is preferred by the public. as of 12-20-2000
State transportation officials on Tuesday showed off designs for twin,
four-lane Cooper River bridges that could be built one at a time, and
Charleston officials accused them of trying to sell half a bridge.
S.C. Transportation Department officials say that
there is only enough money to build one four-lane bridge right now. Their
proposal, outlined at simultaneous public meetings in Mount Pleasant and
Charleston Tuesday evening, calls for building the foundation for two
side-by-side four-lane bridges - but initially erecting only one of the
two spans.
In the state's plan, the Grace Bridge would be
knocked down and the Pearman would be used for northbound traffic until
there is enough money to build a second new bridge.
as of 08-01-2000
SPA might give $50M for bridge
STIPULATION?: The State Ports Authority chairman said that in order for
the port to give $50 million to the new bridge fund, the port would need
to expand so it can generate more income.
as of 08-01-2000
This
Project is being bid as a design-build project. as of 01-31-2000
Sverdrup Civil has been chosen to be responsible for project
management and design of the bridge approaches to the main span. J.
Muller International is responsible for the main span design and produced
the artists renderings. Wilbur, Smith and Associates are responsible
for all highway design including the interchange bridges. Both JMI
and WSA are significant partners with Sverdrup for this project.
as of 01-10-2000
Plans and
support for funding are underway now for a new bridge that would replace
the two existing structures. At an estimated construction cost of
$420 million, three types of bridges are currently being discussed. For information on the upcoming
project check the news articles at the left.
as of 09-16-2000 Three of some of
the world's largest transportation firms submitted bids for the design and
construction of a new eight-lane bridge that will span Charleston Harbor,
joining the peninsula and Mount Pleasant. These three firms are:
Modern Continental Constructors, a combination of
Modern Continental South Inc. and DUMEZ-GTM USA.
Palmetto Bridge Constructors, a joint venture
between SKANSKA USA and HBG Constructors Inc.
Cooper River Bridge Constructors, a team
comprising Traylor Brothers Inc., Fluor Daniel Infrastructure, Massman
Construction Co., and Figg Bridge Engineers Inc.
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