Sidney Lanier Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Sidney Lanier Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge
that spans the Brunswick River
in Brunswick, Georgia
, carrying four lanes of U.S. Route 17
. 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 is also the seventy-sixth largest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It was named for poet Sidney Lanier
. Each year (usually in February), there is the "Bridge Run" sponsored by Southeast Georgia Health System when the south side of the bridge is closed to traffic and people register to run (or walk) 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.
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.
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
that spans the Brunswick River
Brunswick River (Georgia)
The Brunswick River is a tidal river in Georgia. It begins at the Sidney Lanier Bridge at Brunswick, Georgia, at the confluence of the Turtle River with the East River, and flows east to St. Simons Sound, the strait between Saint Simons Island to the north and Jekyll Island to the south.-...
in Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick is the major urban and economic center in southeastern Georgia in the United States. The municipality is located on a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles north of Florida and 70 miles south of South Carolina. Brunswick is bordered on the east by the Atlantic...
, carrying four lanes of U.S. Route 17
U.S. Route 17
U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 is a north–south United States highway. The highway spans the southeastern United States and is close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length. The highway's southern terminus is at Punta Gorda, Florida, at an intersection with U.S. Route 41...
. The current bridge was built as a replacement to the original lift bridge
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
which was twice struck by ships. It is currently the longest spanning bridge in Georgia and is 480 feet tall. It is also the seventy-sixth largest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It was named for poet Sidney Lanier
Sidney Lanier
Sidney Lanier was an American musician and poet.-Biography:Sidney Lanier was born February 3, 1842, in Macon, Georgia, to parents Robert Sampson Lanier and Mary Jane Anderson; he was mostly of English ancestry. His distant French Huguenot ancestors immigrated to England in the 16th century...
. Each year (usually in February), there is the "Bridge Run" sponsored by Southeast Georgia Health System when the south side of the bridge is closed to traffic and people register to run (or walk) 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.
History
Sverdrup & Parcel
Sverdrup & Parcel was an American civil engineering company formed in 1928 by Leif J. Sverdrup and his college engineering professor John I. Parcel. The company worked primarily in a specialty field of bridges. Many of the company's projects were located in the St...
, 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
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
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.
External links
- Findley McNary Engineering profile
- Brunswick Bridge Photos Aerial photos of the Sidney Lanier Bridge, 2001 (under construction) and 2004 (complete).