Cooper River Bridges (1929–2005)
The Cooper River Bridges were a pair of cantilever truss bridges that carried traffic over the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The first bridge opened in 1929, a second one opened in 1966 to relieve traffic congestion. The Grace Memorial Bridge was constructed by a private company known as Cooper River Bridge, Inc, and the Pearman Bridge was built by the SCDOT and designed by HNTB Corporation.
The Grace Memorial Bridge (left) and the Pearman Bridge (right)
The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge (left), the Silas N. Pearman Bridge (middle), and the current Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (right) in May 2005.
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from structural steel, or box girders built from prestressed concrete.
The Pierre Pflimlin Bridge is a balanced cantilever made of concrete, shown here under construction.
The original style of cantilever bridge
The structural principles of the suspended span cantilever bridge
The Vejle Fjord Bridge is a concrete bridge built using the balanced cantilever method.
