Crossing the Savannah

Crossing the Savannah. . Although the Savannah River provided an avenue to the sea, it also presented a barrier to overland travel and transportation. Rochester Ferry, later named Screven's Ferry, was established in 1762 and connected Savannah with a roadway in South Carolina. This location was the main river crossing site in Savannah for over 160 years. Ferries provided a method of transporting goods from South Carolina to the shipping center of Savannah. They also provided regular service for employees who worked the terminals on Hutchinson Island. In more recent history, three bridges have crossed the river at Savannah: the Seaboard Coastline Railroad Bridge, the Houlihan Bridge and the Talmadge Bridge. , Balanced Cantilever Construction , A system of balanced cantilever construction permitted concrete for the new Talmadge Bridge to cast in place using form travelers. That method required critical wind analysis and temporary cable restraints capable of compensating for hurricane force winds during construction. Bridge stress tests and construction geometry were controlled to an accuracy of one inch by a water ballast system in the 200-ton travelers. , Old and New Talmadge Bridges , The first Talmadge Bridge was opened in 1954 and was a 600-foot cantilever steel structure, providing 136-foot of vertical clearance at high tide for ship traffic. In 1991, the Georgia Department of Transportation completed construction on the current $25.7 million structure. The impressive cable-stayed design suspends the roadway from two 418-foot tall H-shaped concrete pylons. The current bridge has a 185-foot vertical clearance at high tide and 1,023-foot of horizontal clearance., Georgia-Carolina Ferry Boat , In the early 1900's ferry boats, such as the above "Georgia-Carolina", carried passengers and automobiles between Savannah and the Union Causeway Turnpike across the river in South Carolina. Smaller steamboat ferries also made regular trips between Savannah's river front and Hutchinson Island. These boats transported workers to jobs at the Seaboard Air Lines terminals, where goods such as lumber, naval stores, and cotton were readied for export., Houlihan Bridge , The Houlihan Bridge is located approximately six miles upriver from downtown Savannah on State Route 25.The bridge, constructed in 1922 and rehabilitated in 1954, was the first structure to provide direct overland travel between Savannah and South Carolina. With the construction of the bridge, the local economy became less dependent on boat traffic for transporting people and goods from nearby towns such as Bluffton, South Carolina.