This drawbridge over the Savannah River connects North Augusta to neighboring Augusta, Georgia. Built in 1912 for Southern Railroad, it replaced rail access from South Carolina to Augusta after the 1853 South Carolina Rail Road bridge stretching from former Hamburg to Augusta was dismantled in 1908. Piers from the former Hamburg railway bridge are visible from this bridge as well as the vehicular traffic Fifth Street bridge. Today the Sixth Street bridge is maintained and operated by Norfolk Southern Railroad.
Though the span no longer opens for boats, the bridge functioned with a Scherzer rolling lift, a 101-foot lift span developed by Chicago engineer William Donald Scherzer.
This mechanism uses a counterweight to balance the span as it is lifted to allow boat traffic to pass under the bridge. The Scherzer lift often is described as having a rocking chair-style base, as seen above.
The Sixth Street bridge, named for the street in Augusta where the rail connects with other lines, is still in operation by Norfolk Southern Railroad.
Moveable Bridges in South Carolina
UPDATE: Since this list was created, the Wando River Swing Bridge between Charleston and Berkeley counties has been replaced by a fixed-span bridge. These are the only moveable bridges left in our state:
I was born in Augusta GA. These bridges are meaningful to me. Thanks for sharing these. My dad, also born in Augusta, would be 97 if he were still alive. He and his 5 brothers used to walk across the rail bridge from Augusta to North Augusta. If a train came, they would hang under the rails until the train was gone. Crazy boys! Thanks for the memories!