Unbuilding the Grace and Pearman Bridges | August 30, 2002 In retrospect, my curiosity of cable stay bridges started in Patras Greece | August 23, 2003 First photos from the SC Aquarium | October 12, 2003 The west and east pylons are rapidly growing |
October 19, 2003 Cargo ships passing under the virtual Ravenel Bridge | October 26, 2003 Continued development of the pylons | November 02, 2003 Concrete mixing machines at the pylon worksite | November 09, 2003 Work on the east and west approach pylons |
November 16, 2003 The east pylon is catching up with the west pylon | November 23, 2003 Structural steel moved into place near the west pylon | November 30, 2003 Forms in place on the tops of the east approach piers | December 07, 2003 East approach pier capped |
December 14, 2003 Main span platform started | January 01, 2004 Overview and links: Cable Stay Bridges | January 13, 2004 Erecting the east platform | January 18, 2004 A closer look at the east and west main span decks |
January 25, 2004 Shark fin edge girders in place on the west platform | January 31, 2004 Shark fin edge girders in place on the east platform | February 15, 2004 Deck crane erectedon the west platform | February 22, 2004 Two deck cranes on the west platform |
February 28, 2004 West pylon top nearing completion | March 07, 2004 First stay cable pulled | March 14, 2004 Freyssinet at work - West stay cables assembled | March 21, 2004 A dolphin and a different view of the bridge |
April 18, 2004 Reflections of our bridge and east stay cables pulled | April 26, 2004 East approach floor griders extended to the next pier | May 02, 2004 Second set of stay cables on the west platform | May 09, 2004 Without words - reflections |
May 09, 2004 My first bicycle adventure to get a closer look | May 15, 2004 Adding shark-fin edge girders | May 17, 2004 Second stay cables on the east platform | May 22, 2004 3rd stay cable assembled |
May 23, 2004 Lateral tendons and the elevator | May 30, 2004 4th shark fin girders added to the west platform | June 06, 2004 Lateral tendons | June 07, 2004 4th stay cable assembled |
June 22, 2004 Fifth stay cables assembled on the west platform | June 27, 2004 Erecting floor girders between the west approach pylons | June 27, 2004 West approach and ramp | June 27, 2004 Progress as seen from my bicycle |
July 04, 2004 Adding the next set of shark fin girder to the west back span | July 04, 2004 Pier construction on the west and approaches | July 04, 2004 Counterweights as the mainspan grows | July 08, 2004 Hurricane cables |
July 11, 2004 Extending shark fin girders to the east back span | July 11, 2004 Adding floor girders | July 17, 2004 6th stay cable assembled | July 17, 2004 Finishing the approach piers |
July 21, 2004 David Wertz, my engineeing professor at SCDOT | July 21, 2004 Freyssinet: Building a stay cable | July 31, 2004 Closing the gaps between the approaches and back spans | July 31, 2004 Pier construction on the west and approaches |
August 01, 2004 Mt. Pleasant's finest: running interference during my weekly bicycle rides on the Pearman | August 01, 2004 Hurricane cables and a possible test | August 07, 2004 7th stay cable assembled | August 07, 2004 Finishing the east and west approach piers |
August 08, 2004 Building the 7th set of stay cables | August 14, 2004 Eighth cable assembled on the west deck | August 14, 2004 Work on the east and west approach piers | August 21, 2004 8th stay cable assembled |
August 21, 2004 New cables on the east and west back spans | August 22, 2004 Building the 8th set of stay cables | August 29, 2004 Closing the gaps between the back spans and the approaches | August 29, 2004 Finishing the east approach pier |
August 29, 2004 Dreding the channel | September 01, 2004 9th stay cable assembled | September 01, 2004 Spanning the last two approach piers (west) | September 01, 2004 Placing the final triple shark fin girder |
September 05, 2004 A bridge near Manzanillo Mexico | September 12, 2004 Adding the 2nd set of hurricane cables | September 12, 2004 Closing the west gap | September 12, 2004 Stay cables and Hurricane anchors |
September 19, 2004 Completion of the west approach with a 3 finned shark girder | September 19, 2004 Erecting the approach girders | September 19, 2004 East and West approach piers | September 24, 2004 More finish work on the approach piers and girders |
September 25, 2004 Another hurricane coming and the 10th stay cables complete | September 25, 2004 Capping piers and extending the main span | September 26, 2004 10th stay cable assembled | October 03, 2004 11th cable installed on the west platform |
October 03, 2004
| October 03, 2004 Capping the east pier | October 09, 2004
| October 09, 2004 Two edge girder to go - linking the back span with the west approach |
October 15, 2004
| October 15, 2004 11th stay cable assembled | October 17, 2004
| October 17, 2004 12th shark fin girder added on the approach side of the west back span |
October 17, 2004 Adding the triple fin girder on the east back span | October 22, 2004
| October 22, 2004 12th stay cable assembled | October 29, 2004 A visit to High Steel, Lancaster Pa. |
October 31, 2004
| October 31, 2004 The squeeze is on - one edge girder to link the west approach and back span | November 01, 2004 Closing the gap between the west backspan and west approach | November 01, 2004 13th stay cable assembled |
November 06, 2004 A shark fin splice between the west approach and west back span | November 07, 2004
| November 14, 2004
| November 14, 2004 Cargo passing under the main span gap |
November 14, 2004 X marks the spot | November 21, 2004
| November 21, 2004 13th cable on the west main span | November 28, 2004
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November 28, 2004 Shark fin girders in waiting | December 01, 2004
| December 01, 2004 Running with Christopher | December 02, 2004
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December 02, 2004 Closing the gap | December 05, 2004
| December 05, 2004 15th stay cable assembled | December 12, 2004
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December 12, 2004 The west approach expansion gap | December 12, 2004 Joining the east approach to the east backspan | December 12, 2004 Morning sun | December 12, 2004 Closing the gap |
December 16, 2004 Night work on the main span | December 18, 2004
| December 18, 2004 13th cable assembled on the east span | December 18, 2004 Closing the gap |
December 19, 2004 God's early monring sun kisses our new bridge | December 23, 2004
| December 23, 2004 Dark and gloomy - but the channel gap is decreasing | January 02, 2005
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January 02, 2005 Adding another pair of shark fin girders to the east main span | January 02, 2005 Closing the gap | January 08, 2005
| January 08, 2005 Last shark fin girder extends the west main span |
January 08, 2005 My first views of line 14 (East Bay on ramp) | January 08, 2005 Closing the gap | January 15, 2005
| January 15, 2005 Last stay cable assembled on the west main span |
January 15, 2005 Extending the edge girders | January 16, 2005
| January 16, 2005 16th stay cable assembled (west) | January 16, 2005 Preparing the pier cap and pouring concrete at the East Bay entrance |
January 19, 2005 Adding center girders | January 19, 2005 Closing the gap | January 20, 2005 Girders on the move - by truck that is | January 22, 2005
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January 22, 2005 12th cable assembly on the east main span | January 22, 2005 Cross bracing and a view from above | January 22, 2005 Closing the gap | January 23, 2005 One more edge girder to go! |
January 25, 2005 Two spans to go | January 26, 2005 High Steel: Drilling and reaming the last splice plate | January 28, 2005 Preparing the next set of girders | January 28, 2005 Marvin Tallent - cyclist and professor of bridgeology |
January 30, 2005 Last shark fin girder extends the west main span | January 30, 2005 Last shark fin edge girder | February 01, 2005 Olivier Forget - Freyssinet's ace problem solver | February 04, 2005 Sandblasting the towers |
February 04, 2005 No gap between Line 14 and the Ravenel approach | February 05, 2005 Sand blasting the pylons and erecting the stay pipe on the east platform | February 05, 2005 Kissing cranes at the Ravenel junction | February 05, 2005 Closing the gap |
February 06, 2005 Last edge girder placed | February 11, 2005 Freyssinet: Pulling the last cable strands | February 12, 2005 16th stay cable assembled (east) | February 12, 2005 Bidwell at work near East Bay - making roadway |
February 12, 2005 Closing the gap | February 13, 2005 Last edge girder gap | February 19, 2005 Closing the main span gap | February 19, 2005 Marvin and Lori: Bridge workers will do anything to be first to cross the gap |
February 19, 2005 Closing the main span gap | February 20, 2005 Splicing the east and west main spans | February 20, 2005 Happy workers and placing the underside forms | February 20, 2005 Transition from feet to inches (gap) |
February 23, 2005 The last gap - North and South sides | February 23, 2005 Phillip and the Last Dinosaur Standing | February 27, 2005 Dark, gloomy - nothing specific to note (at least by me) | February 27, 2005 Grace crossbraces removed |
February 27, 2005 Only inches to close | March 05, 2005 Hydraulic jacks and moving the bridge | March 05, 2005 Building the bicycle/jogging path forms | March 05, 2005 A visit to the bridge with my dad |
March 06, 2005 A bicycle path for Marvin and Laurie | March 06, 2005 A gap of inches - time for a little hydaulic jacking action | March 06, 2005 Early morning work on the traveler | March 08, 2005 Installing the splice plate |
March 08, 2005 Freyssinet injecting cables | March 08, 2005 Installing the last splice plate | March 08, 2005 Installing the last splice plate | March 10, 2005 Placing the floor panels |
March 10, 2005 Unbuilding the west tower crane | March 10, 2005 Installing floor panels | March 10, 2005 Peo Halvarsson: Main Span Superintendent | March 11, 2005 The last floor panel |
March 11, 2005 The last floor panel | March 12, 2005 Filling the gaps with concrete | March 12, 2005 Pouring the last concrete | March 13, 2005 The west tower crane is growing down |
March 13, 2005 The Bidwell paving machine - at work | March 19, 2005 Half the west tower crane | March 19, 2005 Main span curvature | March 19, 2005 Paving continues - and a view from the Pearman |
March 22, 2005 Freyssinet: Injecting cable housings | March 26, 2005 Gone is the west tower crane | March 26, 2005 Building the span under the Grace truss | March 29, 2005 Freyssinet: Seating and sealing internal cable assemblies |
April 02, 2005 A continuous main span - now for the finish work | April 02, 2005 Building the expansion joint at the Ravenel junction | April 06, 2005 Meet the Bidwell Paving Machine | April 08, 2005 The east tower crane is growing down |
April 08, 2005 Ungrowing the east tower crane | April 09, 2005 The east tower crane continues to grow down | April 11, 2005 Starting the south lanes | April 11, 2005 Building the expansion joint |
April 12, 2005 Ungrowing the east tower crane | April 14, 2005 East tower crane is resting on the rock island barge | April 15, 2005 No tower cranes, no barges, just our new bridge | April 16, 2005 The bicycle detour around the Grace supports |
April 23, 2005 Building the anchor boxes | April 23, 2005 A view from the Sea Breeze Marina | April 23, 2005 The curvature of the main and back spans | April 23, 2005 Paving the south lanes |
April 23, 2005 Phillip and Dinosaurs | April 23, 2005 Bicycle and jogging lane virtually complete | April 30, 2005 The anchor assemblies | April 30, 2005 The traveler and me |
April 30, 2005 Continued paving of the inside lanes | April 30, 2005 The traveler - a ride under the bridge | April 30, 2005 The last pour at the expansion joint | April 30, 2005 All purpose Wilbur |
May 07, 2005 The external dampers | May 07, 2005 Making digital sketches from photos | May 07, 2005 Paving | May 08, 2005 Building the entrance ramp from East Bay and the expansion joint |
May 14, 2005 Adding the bicycle guard rail | May 14, 2005 Work on the external dampers | May 14, 2005 Paving | May 14, 2005 Painting and the expansion joint |
May 14, 2005 The multitalented Wilbur | May 16, 2005 Wind dynamics over the diamond towers | May 20, 2005 Completion of the external dampers | May 20, 2005 Surveying the finish work - paving, guard rails and center barrier |
May 20, 2005 More about Wilbur | May 21, 2005 New roadway poured last night | May 21, 2005 More of Wilbur's talents | May 22, 2005 Make a Panorama |
May 22, 2005 Cleco: Night paving - oops - too windy | May 22, 2005 A view from the top | May 22, 2005 A panorama from the top | May 22, 2005 The man - Wade Watson |
May 25, 2005 Cleco: The last night for pouring concrete | May 27, 2005 Paving is complete | May 27, 2005 Painting the lane boundaries | June 02, 2005 The elegance of symmetry |
June 04, 2005 Cargo passing under the completed main span | June 04, 2005 Pouring the bicycle / jogging East Bay entrance | June 07, 2005 A little bit of bridge art | June 10, 2005 Final painting of the anchors |
June 11, 2005 From the Imax Theater | June 11, 2005 Views of the Ravenel Bridge | June 11, 2005 Passing cargo ships and a view of our bridge | June 11, 2005 East Bay on-ramp completed |
June 19, 2005 As seen from the Imax Theater | June 26, 2005 Visiting our daughter in Easton Pa | July 09, 2005 The Ravenel Bridge open to foot traffic | July 12, 2005 Views of a clean bridge (A gift from Wade Watson) |
July 12, 2005 Look at what PBC made | July 13, 2005 Preparations for Fireworks | July 14, 2005 Opening ceremony fireworks | July 15, 2005 Opening Dinner |
July 15, 2005 What is a signature bridge | July 16, 2005 The evening of the first day - and there was a sunset | July 16, 2005 Reflections of the opening ceremony | July 17, 2005 The first day of official traffic on our new bridge |
July 17, 2005 First day of traffic | July 23, 2005 Maxwell in Paris | July 24, 2005 Le Tour de France | July 30, 2005 The week after in Paris |