Liberty Bridge

Liberty Bridge. . Now an iconic part of Greenville, and credited with the shaping of modern downtown, the construction of the Liberty Bridge was originally awash in turmoil and controversy. In 1960 the Reedy River Falls were obscured by the construction of the four-lane Camperdown Bridge, a state highway vehicle crossing which completely obscured the view of the falls and cast the area into shadow. , , Throughout the 1990’s completing elements variously described the bridge as either an impediment to Greenville’s growth, or as a ‘perfectly good bridge.’ Though many master planning studies from the 1980’s called for the bridge’s removal, a 1990 traffic study projected a potential cost to motorists at $3 million a year should the highway be removed., In 2002, with support from the Carolina Foothills Garden Club, local developers, and multiple community newspapers, Mayor Knox White and City Council voted to acquire the highway bridge, and immediately demolished it. Over 3,000 tons of concrete and steel were removed with the destruction of the highway bridge, clearing the way for the new pedestrian-only Liberty Bridge., Designed by Architect Miguel Rosales, the Liberty Bridge is the only curvilinear suspension bridge in the United States. It spans 345 feet and rises 50 feet above the rocky Reedy River. It is 12 feet wide, with an 8” thick concrete deck supported by 80mm suspension cables. Two 90 foot steel masts weighing 28 tons each, lean at 15-degree angles, with 70 foot deep foundations., Welcome to Liberty Bridge, (captions) , Schlaich Bergermann and Partners Structural Engineers, Stuttgart, Germany , Rosales and Partners Architects, Boston, MA