Woods Memorial Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 32°25′39″N80°40′09″W / 32.42750°N 80.66917°W Coordinates: 32°25′39″N80°40′09″W / 32.42750°N 80.66917°W |
Carries | US 21 Bus. |
Crosses | Beaufort River (Intracoastal Waterway) |
Locale | Beaufort – Lady's Island, South Carolina, United States |
Official name | Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge |
Maintained by | South Carolina Department of Transportation |
Characteristics | |
Design | Movable swing |
Width | 28 feet (8.5 m) |
Load limit | 20 tons (18 metric tons) |
Clearance below | 30 ft (9.1 m) (closed) |
History | |
Opened | 1959 |
Lady's Island Bridge | |
NRHP reference No. | 100008530 [1] |
Added to NRHP | January 6, 2023 |
Location | |
The Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge (known locally as the Woods Bridge), is a swing bridge that connects downtown Beaufort with Lady's Island and the outer Sea Islands in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Originally named Lady's Island Bridge, it was renamed in 1971 in memory of Richard V. Woods (1935–1969), who was a South Carolina Highway Patrol officer killed in the line of duty. [2] It was opened on December 17, 1959, replacing an earlier swing-bridge that was built 1927. [3] [2]
The bridge swings on its central pier to open for boat traffic that is too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator's station in the center of the span from which an attendant can operate the bridge. Due to the presence of the Intracoastal Waterway, the bridge is required to open frequently for boat traffic to pass through.
The bridge was featured in the film Forrest Gump (1994) as a stand-in for a bridge across the Mississippi River. In the film, Forrest Gump is interviewed by television reporters about his cross-country running trip while crossing the bridge. [4]
In January 2023, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, under its original name, Lady's Island Bridge. [1]
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and Sally Field. The film follows several decades in the life of a slow-witted and kindhearted Alabama man named Forrest Gump (Hanks) and his experiences in the 20th-century United States. The film differs substantially from the novel.
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. A city rich in history, culture, southern hospitality, and a seaside charm, Beaufort is affectionally known as the "Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands". The city's population was 13,607 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area.
Bluffton is a town in southern Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 27,716, an increase of over 120% since 2010, making it one of the fastest growing municipalities in South Carolina. Bluffton is the fifth largest municipality in South Carolina by land area. It is primarily located around U.S. Route 278, between Hilton Head Island and Interstate 95. The Lowcountry town's original one square mile area, now known as Old Town, is situated on a bluff along the May River. The town is a primary town within the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area.
Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and United States Naval Hospital Beaufort.
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McPhersonville is an unincorporated community in eastern Hampton County, South Carolina, United States, near the county's borders with Beaufort and Jasper counties. Once an important center of affluence and culture in colonial Prince William Parish, McPhersonville is now little more than a marked location on a secondary road between Yemassee and Early Branch.
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The Ben Sawyer Bridge is a swing bridge that connects the town of Mount Pleasant with Sullivan's Island in South Carolina. The bridge swings on its central axis to open for boat traffic which is too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator's house in the center of the swing span from which a tender can operate the bridge. The bridge was originally constructed in 1945, but the steel superstructure for the approach spans and swing span was replaced in 2010, albeit retaining the same general appearance.
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Stoney Creek Independent Presbyterian Chapel of Prince William Parish or Stoney Creek Presbyterian Chapel is a chapel in southeastern Hampton County, South Carolina, United States in the unincorporated community of McPhersonville, South Carolina about 4 mi (6 km) west of Yemassee. In the USGS Geographic Names Information System, it is called McPhersonville Church. It was built about 1833. It is one block north of Pocotaglio Road on State Highway 25-286. The chapel is only antebellum structure in McPhersonville. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 2002.
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Media related to Woods Memorial Bridge (Beaufort, South Carolina) at Wikimedia Commons