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Gervais Street Bridge

SC PICTURE PROJECT 13 Comments

SC Picture Project / Richland County / Gervais Street Bridge

A setting sun and the Columbia city lights give the Gervais Street Bridge a warm evening glow. The Gervais Street Bridge connects West Columbia and with downtown Columbia by spanning the Congaree River. The ornamental bridge is instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the Capital City.

Gervais Street Bridge

Benton Henry of Latta, 2008 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Several bridges have crossed these waters, the earliest being a toll bridge built here in 1791. That bridge was replaced with a wooden bridge in 1827, which was burned by Confederate troops during the Civil War in order to forestall Union forces from entering the city. A new bridge was built in 1870, which was ultimately replaced with the current bridge.

Gervais Bridge Columbia

Benton Henry of Latta, 2015 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Construction on the bridge began in 1926, and it was completed in 1928. It was designed by Charleston engineer Joseph W. Barnwell. Until 1953, it was the only bridge that crossed the Congaree River. Today, several crossings take pedestrians and motorists over the river, though this bridge is the oldest.

Wilson Jumper of West Columbia, 2008 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Above the railings on the bridge sit cast iron light fixtures. The decorative lights posts have a palmetto tree on their bases. On the octagonal posts there are vine patterns and an acanthus leaf, which stands for quality, longevity, and creativity.

Bridge Gervais

Michael Traufler of Columbia, 2015 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Despite the decorative detail on its railings, the Gervais Street Bridge is best known for its dramatic arches that span the river. Two closed spandrel arches anchor the bridge at either end, while nine open spandrel arches support the length of the bridge. Spandrels are the spaces between arches and can be open or closed, or solid.

Gervais Street Bridge Postcard

Lexington County Museum © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

If you kayak the Congaree River near the Gervais Street Bridge, be on the lookout – it is thought that General Sherman and his troops dumped munitions into the river at this spot after burning the city. Excavators, under the guidance of explosives experts, plan to retrieve the relics over the next few years. Anything recovered will likely be kept in the Relic Room of the South Carolina State Museum.

Gervais Bridge Support Detail

Erin Clarkson of Savannah, GA, 2012 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Tar also pollutes the river near the bridge. The tar was found by river guide Austin Bunn, and the discovery was announced in 2010. The sticky substance is the byproduct of coal gasification. It is believed to have been in the river for around 100 years and is slated to be removed by South Carolina Electric and Gas.

Gervais Bridge Arch Details

Erin Clarkson of Savannah, GA, 2012 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The Gervais Street Bridge is listed in the National Register:

One of four open spandrel arch bridges of reinforced concrete in South Carolina, the Gervais Street Bridge spans the Congaree River and links Columbia to the western and southern parts of the state. At the time of its construction, begun in February 1926 and completed in June 1928, the bridge had the widest roadway in the state. From 1928 until 1953, the Gervais Street Bridge was the only Columbia Congaree River bridge and is the earliest and most decorative of the three bridges that now cross the river. The site historically has served bridges and ferries. Ferry service was first replaced about 1791 by a toll bridge. A subsequent wooden bridge completed about 1827 was burned in 1865 to delay General W. T. Sherman’s army. The rebuilt bridge was privately owned until 1912 when it was purchased by Richland County in cooperation with Lexington County. The 1415-foot reinforced concrete bridge was constructed by Hardaway Contracting Company of Columbus, Georgia. It cost $597,167 to construct. The bridge was designed by Joseph W. Barnwell of Charleston, bridge engineer for the State Highway Department. Above the flanking balustrades on the bridge are cast iron light fixtures. The decorative fixtures have the letter C and a palmetto on the bases, a vine pattern on the eight-sided post, and an acanthus leaf design on the necking.

Reflections on the Gervais Street Bridge


Photographer Erin Clarkson shares: “I’m from West Columbia and have always admired the architectural style of the Gervais Street Bridge. It looks beautiful from all angles, but is particularly stunning from below. As a child, I traveled across this bridge with my family every weekend to enjoy Sunday dinner at my grandparents’ home in Shandon. I also have fond memories of exploring the park and trails on both sides of the river with my dad and brother. My dad (James A. Wactor) worked for SCE&G and would tell stories of how he helped design a high water alert system for the Saluda River, which feeds into the Congaree River.”

Gervais Bridge Columbia Arches

Erin Clarkson of Savannah, GA, 2012 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Photographer Joe William Woodard, Jr., who took the photo below, says: “I have kayaked and fished this river most of my life. The Gervais Street Bridge is just downstream of the confluence of the Saluda River that flows out from the Lake Murray Dam and the Broad River to form the Congaree River which begins at or just above the bridge. I travel across this bridge every day, twice a day for work. On this particular morning I noticed a nice fog had settled on the river and I knew that I had to turn around and try to shoot something. The overhanging limbs provided a great frame for this shot. I shot a series of images but this was one of my
favorites.

Gervais Street Bridge

Joe William Woodard, Jr. of Columbia, 2009 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Contributor Kathryn Harris writes, “I saw this bridge on my first visit to Columbia and thought it would be awesome to photograph at sunset. Truly a beautiful site. I will come back in the spring to photograph it again.”

Kathryn Harris of Tennessee, 2008 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Photographer Benton Henry tells the story of his photo at the top of the page: “The photograph was made for an article celebrating the 25th anniversary of Columbia Business Monthly magazine. They asked me to get them a shot that would say ‘Columbia.’ I thought this did it, and so did they. It has since been used for a phone book cover, websites and sold as a fine print throughout the area.”

Gervais Bridge

Benton Henry of Latta, 2015 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip:

Where is located?
SC
GPS Coordinates: 33.996293,-81.049432
What else should I see?
Congaree River 0.3 mile
Three Rivers Greenway 0.4 mile
Old Confederate Printing Plant 0.5 mile
Columbia Canal 0.8 mile
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Bridges
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rebecca Terry says

      May 22, 2017 at 6:58 PM

      There is a tunnel at the end of the bridge to the right going into Columbia. Parts of it is a bricked arched tunnel dating back to mid- to late-1800s. I have pictures.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        May 23, 2017 at 2:15 PM

        How interesting! We would love to see those photos Rebecca. We have a form to make photo submissions easy! The link is located here: https://www.sciway.net/forms/pictures.html

        Reply
    2. The DJs in Columbia SC says

      September 29, 2016 at 10:47 PM

      We had a wedding not too long ago that wanted to have the reception anywhere downtown that would allow them to see the Gervais Street Bridge. Apparently they loved it, too.

      Reply
    3. David Robinson says

      April 27, 2016 at 7:12 PM

      Who would be in charge of removing the “construction” signs on the bridge sidewalk? There is no construction going on anywhere near the bridge. They have been up a very long time and the fact that they bolted to the sidewalk makes it that much worse. Seeing that the bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places, anything that deters from its beauty should be corrected. These signs need to be removed.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        April 28, 2016 at 7:23 AM

        Hi, David. We suggest you contact someone with the City of Columbia regarding your concerns. Here is the website: https://www.columbiasc.net we are a private website that documents landmarks with photos and are not connected with any of our entries.

        Reply
    4. CL says

      April 23, 2012 at 11:24 AM

      Hello! Please tell me how to get down to this bridge to take a picture of it — thank you!

      Reply
    5. Sonya Fredo says

      November 15, 2011 at 12:47 PM

      This bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges I have ever seen in my life!

      Reply
    6. Deborah Flowers says

      October 10, 2011 at 12:32 AM

      These are both very beautiful! I’d like to submit a couple of my photographs of this bridge. I did not know the name of it when I shot it this past summer when visiting Columbia, SC.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        October 10, 2011 at 9:37 AM

        Hi Deborah! We’d love to see your pictures of the Gervais Bridge. You can submit them using the form on the following page: https://www.sciway.net/forms/pictures.html

        Reply
    7. Andy Lawless says

      June 16, 2011 at 7:26 PM

      Both shots are very good. Like the processing in the second shot.

      Reply
    8. Jeremy says

      October 20, 2010 at 8:55 AM

      This bridge is so beautiful, and I love walking the river walk to see its beauty.

      Reply
    9. Nii Martey says

      September 27, 2010 at 7:39 AM

      It’s so beautiful!

      Reply
    10. Nii Martey says

      September 27, 2010 at 7:31 AM

      Beautiful!

      Reply

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