Only a handful of swing bridges remain in SC. How Beaufort plans to protect this one
A Beaufort group is seeking to protect an iconic swing bridge that’s among the last of its kind in South Carolina.
City officials and the Historic Beaufort Foundation are working to add the Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge to the National Register of Historic Places. Paying a consultant to research a case for securing the designation is expected to cost $7,000, of which about half is raised.
The bridge was built in 1959 and connects downtown Beaufort to Lady’s Island over the Beaufort River. If replaced to modern state standards, a new structure would require a massive fixed-span bridge that would likely encroach on the city’s historic district if built in the same spot.
The scale of the current bridge is appropriate, Historic Beaufort Foundation director Cynthia Jenkins said in a statement.
“It has the setting over the Beaufort River, the sense of place as it connects to the Historic Downtown District,” she said. “It’s critical that we keep it viable.”
Swing bridges open periodically to allow large boats like sailing vessels and shrimp trawlers to pass. Once the norm in Beaufort County, the Woods Bridge will be the last after a new bridge is completed over the Harbor River between St. Helena and Harbor islands.
An application for historic designation must pass through the State Historic Preservation Office and a state review board before moving on to federal approval process via the Department of Interior. The city and Historic Beaufort are asking for private donations to a city Pride of Place fund designated for improvement projects like park benches or planting trees.
Supporters hope to achieve the designation by mid-year next year.
A bill introduced by Beaufort County state lawmakers in 2019 seeks to form a committee of lawmakers and community leaders to study the bridge and determine plans and costs for necessary repairs or possible replacement options. The proposal is still with the Senate transportation committee.
“If we are able to get it registered as a Historic Landmark, that gives all of us, including SCDOT, time to plan for perpetual maintenance by stockpiling parts that may need to be replaced in the future and ensuring a high level of maintenance to ensue it lasts forever,” Mayor Billy Keyserling wrote in his weekly newsletter.
