Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, SC

It is commonly referred to as the Cooper River Bridge due to the fact that the eight lane cable bridge spans over the Cooper River, but it is technically named the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. The stunning architectural feat is notable as the third longest cable bridge at 1,546 feet in the Western Hemisphere.

The Cooper River Bridge was designed by Parson Brinckerhoff who used the design build method. It was created to replace two separate truss bridges and officially opened in 2005.The 2.7 mile structure cost about $6 million to build and is a real treat to drive across as most bridges do not take such a length time to cross. Some even refer to it as the ‘roller coast bridge’ due to its historical nature as a steep bridge that was narrow in width although it has been smoothed out quite a bit in its modern version.

It took two decades to raise enough money to purchase Cooper River Bridge due to the fact that the state did not want to pay for such a massive project and Charleston was resistant about paying for it as well. Finally, Arthur Ravenel, Jr. a retired US Congressman entered the South Carolina Senate race with the intention of creating a funding solution due to the poor safety rating of the previous bridge. He was able to secure funding by working with federal, local, and state officials and his hard work led to him becoming its namesake.

Whether you intend to travel from Charleston to Mt. Pleasant or not while in the city of Charleston you should make it a point to drive over Cooper River Bridge. The bridge is now free and is worth checking out to see the unique city scape and the impressive design first hand.