The Old Sidney Lanier Bridge
The original Sidney Lanier Bridge was opened to traffic on June 22, 1956. It was named for the poet Sidney Lanier who wrote a poem called The Marshes of Glynn about the area around the bridge. It is Georgia's last lift-span type of bridge. The bridge was designed by the consulting firm Sverdrup and Parcel. The center span of the bridge is lifted from each end providing 139 feet of vertical clearance and horizontal clearance of 295 feet. Unfortunately this prohibits the Port of Brunswick from receiving larger cargo ships. More tragically, the limited horizontal clearance and the low level of the unmovable approach spans have played a role in two ship collisions with the loss of ten lives. The nature of a lift span system means that as ships pass through, roadway traffic on the bridge must come to a halt. With an average of 20 ships passing per day, the bridge is closed to traffic for a significant part of each day. To avoid all these problems a replacement for this bridge was designed. It is scheduled to open in October 2001. After its opening the old bridge will be removed. The contract for removal of the existing bridge has not been let yet. Part of the existing bridge will be left in place to serve as a fishing pier. Also a boat ramp and parking may be added.
Go back to main page Updated March 05, 2003. 16:56 © 2003-2007 Georgia Department of Transportation |
