Sidney Lanier Bridge

Sidney Lanier Bridge
Sidney Lanier Bridge
Official name	Sidney Lanier Bridge
Carries	U.S. Route 17 / GA 25
Crosses	South Brunswick River
Locale	Brunswick, Georgia
Maintained by	Georgia Department of Transportation
Design	Cable-stayed bridge
Total length	7,779 ft (2371 m)
Width	79.5 ft (24 m)
Longest span	1,250 feet
Clearance below	185 feet
Opened	2003
Coordinates	31°07′04″N 81°29′06″W / 31.11773°N -81.48503°ECoordinates: 31°07′04″N 81°29′06″W / 31.11773°N -81.48503°E

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The Sidney Lanier Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the South Brunswick River in Brunswick, Georgia. The current bridge was built as a replacement to the original lift bridge which was twice struck by ships. It is currently the longest spanning bridge in Georgia and is 480 feet tall. It was named for poet Sidney Lanier. Each year (usually in February), there is the "Bridge Walk" sponsored by South East Georgia Medical Center when the southside of the bridge is closed to traffic and people register to walk (or run) the bridge.

The approach spans were constructed by Rosiek Construction Company, Inc of Arlington, TX. The 180' long concrete beams set were the longest ever set in the US at the time. The main span was constructed by the Joint Venture of Recchi America, Inc. and GLF Construction Co. under JV Project Manager Brian West and General Superintendent Richard Broggi. ^[1]

[edit] History

The original Sidney Lanier Bridge was opened June 22, 1956, and was built by Sverdrup & Parcel, the same firm that designed the I-35W Mississippi River bridge which collapsed catastrophically in 2007. On November 7, 1972 the ship African Neptune struck the bridge, causing parts of the bridge to collapse and causing several cars to fall into the water. Ten deaths were caused by the accident. On May 3, 1987 the bridge was again struck by a ship, this time by the Polish freighter Ziemia Bialostocka.

Scenes from the original version of The Longest Yard were filmed on the first Sidney Lanier Bridge. The raising of the lift span was used by Burt Reynolds' character to escape the police.