The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-08-19
Santee Bridge.
is Progressing
Causeways Through Santee
Swamp Are Beginning to
Take Shape
CNews and Courier).

reports lQQ1caLe LQal the Sd0Cee
river bridge is progressing Quite
steadily and those who have viewed
this gigantic highway project have
been profoundly Impressed. with, Its
magnitude. The bridge is about
sixty miles from Charleston, the
span. connecting Williamsburg and
Berkeley. counties. ~.
A considerable portion of the
long concrete bridge has been VIZ
;tually completed and the work of
pouring the concrete is going for
ward as rapidly as weather and oth-
er conditions permit. The build
ing of the causeways through the
Santee river swamp is also pro-
crossing. 1t is the hope of the
commissioners and contractors that
the project will be finished before
another year.
Some of the work at the river
has been delayed because of high
water for a considerable period.
Rains have been heavy and fre-
quent during the spring and sum-
ner, and the excess moisture has
interfered at and near:the stream.
The great Santee river project
was designed by Mr.. James. L. Par
ker, who has in hand the drawing
of the. plans and specifications fer
the concrete bridge across the: Ash
ley river at the foot of Spring
street, the construction to- cost
about s5e0,600, half of which VIII
be supplied from United States
highway funds. The Santee prof.
Tect will cost in the neighborhood
of $1,000. 0.000.
The sturdy concrete piles and
beams at the Santee river look very
much like great pieces of high
grade timber, the marks Of the
nolds being plainly Impressed.
These various uprights and sleep
ers and all the other pieces are
thoroughly reinforced, of course,
and the bridge is capable of with
standing tremendous weight.
In order TO carry forward the
Santee project, it was necessary
for the contractors to. build several
temporary railroads through the
swamp and across the stream, haul
ing many hundreds OF carloads Of
materials oyer these rails. To be-.
gin with, the. filling for the long.
causeways through the swamp have
called for an enormous quantity of
dirt, the temporary trestles being.
flied in.
Meanwhile, of course, plans are
ready for the highways on both
sides of the Santee river, which:
are b eng bu It. a c r,os 8
Berkeley county, q Hrst class high.
way is under construction, a cof-
siderable portion Of this being in
active use already. Williamsburg
county has decided to build as di-.
rect a highway as practicable. The
Charleston county link is the Meet
ing street road, which viii nave
a concrete surface as far as the
Blue tdOuSe1fOtd;':% Nv aaSii 70 aiseSA Ts tes. eN
Goose creek cauSeway, ~.
The true worth of the Santee,
river bridge is In its relation to a
coastal highway and the various
links in this road chain are being.
made steadily The Hast link TO be
completed VIII be the bridge across
the Savannah RIVER, arrangements
for which have been made, how
ever. Within the next eighteen
months. the various important
streams on the coastal highway
will be spanned by concrete .or,steel
and concrete bridges. The prdn-
cipal streams in the route INCLUDE
the santee, the Ashley, the Edlsso
and the Savannah.