Buster Boyd Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Buster Boyd Bridge is a four-lane automobile bridge
spanning Lake Wylie
between Steele Creek
in Mecklenburg County
, North Carolina
and the town of Lake Wylie
in York County
, South Carolina
.
The route connects North Carolina Highway 49, also known as York Road, to South Carolina Highway 49
, also known as Charlotte Highway. 30,000 vehicles travel across the Buster Boyd Bridge every day.
The original Buster Boyd Bridge was built at a cost of $120,000, with Mecklenburg County paying two-thirds of the cost and York County, South Carolina paying the remaining one-third. Mecklenburg County raised their portion of the funds by selling $75,000 in bonds The bridge spanned 1,378 feet across in 10 spans. It officially opened to automobile traffic on January 9, 1923. The bridge featured an excessively high lake clearance due to known plans by Catawba Power Company to build a larger dam, which would make Lake Catawba much larger and deeper in the following year.
A great celebration of the new Buster Boyd Bridge was held on August 17, 1923. Both North Carolina Governor Cameron A. Morrison
and South Carolina Governor Thomas Gordon McLeod
were among the estimated crowd of 12,000 attending the event. Ceremonies commenced with several acrobatic biplanes flying aerial maneuvers beneath the center span of the bridge.
In 1960 the name of the body of water over which the Buster Boyd Bridge spans was changed from Lake Catawba to Lake Wylie
in honor of Dr. Walker Gill Wylie, one of the founders of what was to become Duke Energy
Company.
Just one month before a new bridge was to replace the original bridge, it was closed to traffic in September 1961 after a truck struck it, causing serious structural damage.
and the South Carolina Department of Transportation
. The new bridge first opened to automobile traffic with only two lanes on June 16, 2001, with all four-lanes finally being officially completed on September 16, 2003 (two years behind schedule). The final cost of the bridge was over $12 million.
In addition to replacing the 40-year-old 2nd Buster Boyd Bridge and finally expanding automobile traffic to four lanes, the newest Buster Boyd Bridge also provides a lake clearance five feet higher than before to allow for more boat traffic beneath the center span. The current structure also provides a separated pedestrian walkway on each side for the first time.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
spanning Lake Wylie
Lake Wylie
Lake Wylie is a reservoir, or man-made lake in the U.S. states of both South Carolina and North Carolina. The lake has a surface area of and features of shore line.-History:...
between Steele Creek
Steele Creek, North Carolina
Steele Creek is primarily considered to be a community and neighborhood in the southwestern part of Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. It is generally defined geographically by the original boundaries of Steele Creek Township...
in Mecklenburg County
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and the town of Lake Wylie
Lake Wylie, South Carolina
Lake Wylie is a census-designated place in York County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,061 at the 2000 census. Lake Wylie is located on a peninsula along the shore of Lake Wylie, a reservoir that was named for Dr. W...
in York County
York County, South Carolina
York County is a county located in the north-central section of the U.S. state of South Carolina. According to the 2010 census, the county's population was 226,073. It is the second largest county in the Charlotte metropolitan area...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
The route connects North Carolina Highway 49, also known as York Road, to South Carolina Highway 49
South Carolina Highway 49
South Carolina Highway 49 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It traverses north–south from Watts Mill to the North Carolina state line, in Lake Wylie.-Route description:...
, also known as Charlotte Highway. 30,000 vehicles travel across the Buster Boyd Bridge every day.
Buster Boyd Bridge I
William Monroe "Buster" Boyd, was an influential Mecklenburg County politician from Steele Creek. Boyd lobbied Mecklenburg County Commissioners for a hard-surfaced road to be built from Charlotte to what was then known as Lake Catawba. After the road was built, Boyd fought heavily for the construction of a bridge that would span Lake Catawba, connecting Mecklenburg County with York County on the South Carolina side. During its construction the bridge was referred to as York-Mecklenburg Bridge but upon completion was named in honor of Boyd, who donated the access land on the North Carolina side.The original Buster Boyd Bridge was built at a cost of $120,000, with Mecklenburg County paying two-thirds of the cost and York County, South Carolina paying the remaining one-third. Mecklenburg County raised their portion of the funds by selling $75,000 in bonds The bridge spanned 1,378 feet across in 10 spans. It officially opened to automobile traffic on January 9, 1923. The bridge featured an excessively high lake clearance due to known plans by Catawba Power Company to build a larger dam, which would make Lake Catawba much larger and deeper in the following year.
Cameron A. Morrison
Cameron A. Morrison was the 55th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1921 to 1925.He was born in 1869 in Richmond County, North Carolina. With the backing of Sen. Furnifold Simmons and the help of race-baiting tactics employed by A. D. Watts, Morrison defeated O. Max Gardner in the...
and South Carolina Governor Thomas Gordon McLeod
Thomas Gordon McLeod
Thomas Gordon McLeod was the 95th Governor of South Carolina from 1923 to 1927.Born in Lynchburg, South Carolina to William J...
were among the estimated crowd of 12,000 attending the event. Ceremonies commenced with several acrobatic biplanes flying aerial maneuvers beneath the center span of the bridge.
In 1960 the name of the body of water over which the Buster Boyd Bridge spans was changed from Lake Catawba to Lake Wylie
Lake Wylie
Lake Wylie is a reservoir, or man-made lake in the U.S. states of both South Carolina and North Carolina. The lake has a surface area of and features of shore line.-History:...
in honor of Dr. Walker Gill Wylie, one of the founders of what was to become Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
Company.
Just one month before a new bridge was to replace the original bridge, it was closed to traffic in September 1961 after a truck struck it, causing serious structural damage.
Buster Boyd Bridge II
The second Buster Boyd Bridge opened in October 1961 at a cost of $700,000. The structure was demolished in July of 2001, two weeks after the third bridge first began carrying traffic.Buster Boyd Bridge III
Construction on the third and current Buster Boyd Bridge began in April 1999, as a joint-partnership between the North Carolina Department of TransportationNorth Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...
and the South Carolina Department of Transportation
South Carolina Department of Transportation
The South Carolina Department of Transportation is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services....
. The new bridge first opened to automobile traffic with only two lanes on June 16, 2001, with all four-lanes finally being officially completed on September 16, 2003 (two years behind schedule). The final cost of the bridge was over $12 million.
In addition to replacing the 40-year-old 2nd Buster Boyd Bridge and finally expanding automobile traffic to four lanes, the newest Buster Boyd Bridge also provides a lake clearance five feet higher than before to allow for more boat traffic beneath the center span. The current structure also provides a separated pedestrian walkway on each side for the first time.