The Ravenel Bridge
The Ravenel Bridge II
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is paramount in comparison to any bridge in the lowcountry for several reasons. The Ravenel was completed and opened to the public for use on July 16th, 2005. The time of construction was just under 4 years and cost around $632 million to complete. The Ravenel was designed to withstand most natural disasters; taking into account the earthquake of 1886 which measured around 6.9 – 7.3 on the Richter scale as well as withstanding hurricanes. In regard to hurricanes, Hurricane Hugo (measured at a Cat. 4) devastated most of the Charleston area with wind gusts of up to 135 – 140 mph. The Ravenel was designed to sustain winds up to 300 mph to ensure its survivability in times of complete chaos and to avoid total failure.
The ravenel sunset
The method used to build this bridge was known as “design-build procurement.” This method is not unheard of but is different in the sense of how common it is. Design-build procurement basically means that a singular company is hired to design and build the project. The traditional procurement method means that the client would hire a consultant to design the project and then proceed to hire a builder to construct the design from the schematics provided. The bridge is a 2.5-mile-long cable-stayed bridge that has two diamond-shaped towers that both stand at nearly 600 ft high, each. The Ravenel connects Downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The bridge is named after Arthur Ravenel who was a former congressman that oversaw production and advocated that it be built over the Cooper River. To protect the bridge from drifting ships, the towers were flanked with one-acre rock islands. The bridge spans 8 lanes wide with a 12 ft lane for bicycles off the side known as “Wonders’ Way.”
The Ravenel has become something of noteworthiness to locals and visitors. Everything from T-shirts to logos, the Ravenel has inspired many to use its silhouette/design. Aside from the bridge being used as logos for instance and as a great place to see sunsets over the harbor, it’s also the main place for the Cooper River Bridge Run. The Cooper River Bridge Run is Charleston’s annual 10k foot race that takes place in April and hosts over 20,000 people from all over. The Bridge Run is the third largest of its kind in the United States; this 10k stands tall with the likes of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race and Dick’s Sporting Goods Bolder Boulder, respectively.
Click the link to check availability and enter into the Cooper River Bridge Run!
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These photos are:
-Justin