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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
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304:(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
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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
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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 2.5-foot (76 cm) sidewalks on both sides were replaced by a single 5-foot (1.5 m) one on the harbor side
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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.
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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.
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292:. 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.
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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
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using hydraulic jacks on
February 11. The bridge reopened to traffic on February 19, 2010.
536:"SCDOT - Inside SCDOT - Press Releases Ben Sawyer Bridge Rehabilitation Contract Approved"
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A $ 32.5 million rehabilitation of the Ben Sawyer Bridge was approved by the
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in 1993, the Ben Sawyer Bridge provided the only vehicular access to
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Buildings and structures in
Charleston County, South Carolina
484:. Charleston, South Carolina. October 18, 1943. p. 3A.
469:. Charleston, South Carolina. July 3, 1941. p. 8-ii.
499:. Charleston, South Carolina. June 18, 1945. p. 16.
454:. Charleston, South Carolina. June 20, 1945. p. 9.
665:. Charleston, South Carolina. May 1, 1945. p. 3.
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40 feet (12 m) (old span: 26 feet (7.9 m))
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Transportation in
Charleston County, South Carolina
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661:"Bridge to Island Would Be Named For Ben Sawyer".
586:"Link between SC mainland and sea islands reopens"
511:"SCDOT - Ben Sawyer Bridge Rehabilitation Project"
426:"SCDOT - Ben Sawyer Bridge Rehabilitation Project"
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648:"Who was Ben Sawyer? – the Island Eye News"
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621:"Waterway opens today; vehicles must wait"
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619:Findlay, Prentiss (February 16, 2010).
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391:Findlay, Prentiss (February 12, 2010).
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16:Bridge in South Carolina, United States
553:Findlay, Prentiss (January 24, 2009).
284:The bridge was heavily damaged during
480:"Cove Inlet Bridge To Be Completed".
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37:with its original swing-span section
596:. February 19, 2010. Archived from
722:Steel bridges in the United States
702:Swing bridges in the United States
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450:"U.S. Paid for Sawyer Bridge".
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393:"Ben Sawyer Bridge progresses"
271:Isle of Palms Connector Bridge
35:The Ben Sawyer Bridge in 2008,
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555:"Swing bridge to be upgraded"
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248:that connects the town of
727:Bridges completed in 1945
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363:United States portal
187:20 tons (18 metric tons)
197:32 feet (9.8m) (closed)
465:"Would Dredge Marsh".
351:Engineering portal
296:Rehabilitation project
290:Intracoastal Waterway
102:Intracoastal Waterway
66:32.77306°N 79.84222°W
688:at Wikimedia Commons
626:The Post and Courier
560:The Post and Courier
495:"New Bridge Opens".
398:The Post and Courier
339:Transport portal
179:246 feet (75 m)
163:1153 feet (351.7 m)
71:32.77306; -79.84222
62: /
317:Origin of the name
93:(Ben Sawyer Blvd.)
686:Ben Sawyer Bridge
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563:. Charleston
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403:. Retrieved
401:. Charleston
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246:swing bridge
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176:Longest span
160:Total length
91:SC 703
69: /
44:Coordinates
696:Categories
521:2011-04-28
436:2011-04-28
369:References
306:swing-span
215:Statistics
184:Load limit
57:79°50′32″W
54:32°46′23″N
632:July 17,
604:July 17,
567:July 17,
405:July 17,
326:See also
230:Location
590:WPDE-TV
202:History
98:Crosses
82:Carries
311:barges
207:Opened
150:Design
108:Locale
252:with
244:is a
168:Width
634:2011
606:2011
569:2011
407:2011
240:The
256:in
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577:^
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118:,
114:–
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
