Sidney Lanier Bridge

First bridge The bridge was a four-lane north-south thoroughfare that carried U.S. Route 17 roughly over the Brunswick River. It was a vertical-lift bridge, which allowed for ship access to the Port of Brunswick upriver. The lift section had a horizontal clearance of and a vertical clearance at mean high water of when raised and when lowered. Only the central portion of the bridge was movable, with both approach sections remaining stationary. Second bridge The second bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with a central span of . Additionally, it has two side spans, each measuring . Like the previous bridge, it carries four travel lanes, each measuring wide, along with an wide shoulder. The concrete deck that the vehicles traverse is roughly thick. On each side of the bridge is a concrete beam measuring by , supported by the cables. The total width of the bridge is . The most distinctive part of the bridge is two H-shaped concrete pylons, each tall. On each side of each pylon are 44 stay cables, 176 total, supporting the bridge. Each cable consists of multiple strands, measuring in diameter and encased in high-density polyethylene. The pylons are hollow in order to allow for inspection of the cable stay groundings. Additionally, the bridge features safety features in the form of artificial islands designed to prevent ship collisions. == 1956 bridge ==

Construction In 1947, the government of Georgia purchased Jekyll Island and converted it into a state park. Melvin E. Thompson, then-governor of Georgia, was a big promoter of this effort and pushed to increase tourism to the island while in office. To this end, he supported the construction of a bridge across the Brunswick River, near the island, The bridge would be located immediately south of the city's downtown and about upstream from the river's mouth. Construction of this bridge began during Thompson's governorship, but shortly after it began, he lost reelection to Herman Talmadge, who was opposed to the bridge. which was designed by Sverdrup & Parcel and J. E. Greiner Associates. was built concurrently, with a total project cost of $12 million ($ million in ) for the two structures. a Georgia-born poet active in the 19th century. One of Lanier's more well-known poems, "The Marshes of Glynn", was written about the salt marshes of Glynn County, where the bridge was located. On April 6, The Atlanta Constitution reported that the authority was planning to open the bridge on May 18. However, by April 11, the date of the dedication ceremony, which would feature a speech from former Governor Talmadge, was reported as June 18. Ship collisions Due to the lift bridge's design, it suffered from poor navigational clearance. As a result, it suffered several ship collisions during its existence. In 1972, the SS African Neptune cargo ship collided with the bridge while attempting to pass through its opening, causing several sections of the bridge to collapse into the river. The collapse sent several vehicles into the river and resulted in the death of ten people. Several years later, in 1987, the Polish bulk carrier Ziemia Bialostocka collided with the bridge while also attempting to pass through the bridge's opening. While this collision did not result in any injuries or fatalities, it did cause roughly $1.4 million ($ million in ) in damages. In addition to the collisions, by the 1990s, the poor clearance was preventing some larger ships from using the port, while the 20 ships that on average passed through the bridge on a daily basis proved to be a hindrance to automotive travel across the bridge. == 2003 bridge ==

By 1998, construction had commenced on a replacement bridge, tentatively referred to as the "New Sidney Lanier Bridge". It was designed by DRC Consultants, with Recchi America and GLF Construction Corporation serving as contractors and Finley McNary assisting in construction. Figg Engineering Group performed the building inspection. The new cable-stayed bridge, with greater navigational clearance and safety features, was designed to address the safety issues of the previous bridge and both improve road traffic and allow for larger ships to access the port. At the time, it was planned to open in 2000, after which the old bridge would be demolished. However, it actually opened in 2003. At the time of its opening, it had the third-longest span of any cable-stayed bridge in the United States and Canada, behind only the Dames Point Bridge in Florida and the Fred Hartman Bridge in Texas. It is owned and operated by the Georgia Department of Transportation. == Incidents ==

In May 2025, the bodies of two unidentified people were found under the bridge; they had reportedly been there for some months. == References ==