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ScribeBy: Jessica VanEgeren of The Post and
Courier Staff
Originally Published on: 6/28/03
New bridge is expected to save DOT $250,000 a year in maintenance costs
JOHNS ISLAND - Like a sign from the heavens, or from the late John F. Limehouse himself, the old Limehouse bridge caused a slight disruption for what could be the last time Friday during the dedication of the newer, bigger bridge built right next door.
Bells began ringing, and the old gate to stop traffic began falling as the old swing-span bridge prepared to turn and let a boat pass. The gate came within inches of some attendees' heads, including that of Limehouse descendant H.B. "Buck" Limehouse Jr.
Drivers on the new Limehouse Bridge didn't notice a thing.
"That's the sort of disruption that is typical of the old bridge," said Tee Hooper, chairman of the state Department of Transportation Commission, who was speaking during the time of the surprise opening.
Roughly 120 politicians, construction workers and descendants of John F. Limehouse witnessed the incident after hiking up the old bridge's grassy embankment to take a seat on the old bridge's roadway.
Built just a stone's throw from the old bridge, the new span, rises 65 feet from the Stono River and will improve traffic flow to and from Johns Island.
The old bridge was found structurally deficient and a hazard to navigation in 1994 by the U.S. Coast Guard. About 70 percent of the bridge's replacement cost was picked up by the Coast Guard. The new bridge is expected to save the state Department of Transportation about $250,000 a year in maintenance.
The bridge work was completed within its $21 million budget and opened for traffic Monday, 10 weeks ahead of schedule.
"South Carolina is growing, and South Carolina is moving forward," said state Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, and Buck Limehouse's son. "This bridge is a sign that all our transportation projects can come in on time and under budget."
Aside from the praise given to contractor Jones Bros. Inc. and subcontractor Banks Construction Co., the speakers took a step back from the facts and figures of the project to remember the man for whom it is named.
"We're here to remember a man and the legacy he left behind through a great family," said Bob Harrell, first district highway commissioner. "In this case, the bridge's name will remain the same."
This is a break from the norm. New bridges often don't have the name of the bridge that they replace, nor are most bridges and highways named for anyone except politicians.
Limehouse was not a politician. He operated the Limehouse general store, where he sold the sausage he made from scratch. He also operated a ferry, pulled by two mules, which traveled across the Stono River. In 1958, the wooden bridge he crossed so often was replaced by the swing-span drawbridge named in his honor.
His 81-year-old daughter Dorothy Richards said she remembers the wooden bridge.
"We used to have the best time, just coming down here and shrimping. But I did enjoy driving over the new one," said Richards, who currently lives in Virginia.
Buck Limehouse Jr., former chairman of the state Transportation Commission, recalled jumping from the top of the old metal bridge as a teen.
"If you have any employee that will dive off that new bridge, he's too stupid to work for the highway department," Limehouse said to the crowd.
The old bridge will be dismantled, hauled out to sea and used to create an artificial reef within the next two months.
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Scribe