An Impressive Span of Time
Historic Bridge Reaches the End of the Road

Story by Stephen Prudhomme

For more than a century, the James P. Houlihan Bridge in Port Wentworth was in service. It witnessed the evolution of the automobile, starting with the Model T and continuing with the present-day vehicles that hail from around the world and boast the latest in technological innovations.

The bridge, which crosses the Savannah River and carries Hwy. 25, went through an evolution of its own. In 1954, the original 18-foot roadway was widened by 10 feet by removing the swing span bridge. The T-beam spans were retained but widened by adding 6-foot extensions on each side.

The Houlihan Bridge has finally reached the end of the road. Just as an aging superstar mentors a rookie in sports until the latter becomes the focal point, the Houlihan remained in the lineup, handling traffic until its successor took over in July.

Kyle Collins, E-3 communications manager with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), said the Houlihan Bridge has served a good life but has always presented maintenance challenges. The new bridge, he added, is much safer and able to handle heavier traffic and larger vehicles.

“It meets modern design standards,” said Collins, noting it’s located west of the old bridge. “It has added shoulder widths in case emergency vehicles need to get through and increased clearance  for ships. A swing bridge is no longer needed.”

The old bridge, in the meantime, is being removed slowly due to its nature and close proximity to the Savannah National Refuge Center. It leaves behind an interesting history.

Although it has a construction date of 1922, the entire main span of the Houlihan Bridge was demolished and replaced in 1954. That same year, its concrete t-beam and approach spans were widened by adding beams. All approach railing was replaced, meaning the only remnants of the 1922 bridge were the approach spans and substructure. With HistoricBridges.org defining a bridge’s main construction date when the main span superstructure is built, Houlihan was constructed in 1954.

Boasting a swing span, the Houlihan Bridge was the only one of its kind in Georgia. Recognized for retaining its historical integrity as a 1954 swing bridge, it did undergo one change. The bridge tender house, located over the roadway in the center of the swing span, was removed and replaced with a new tender house, located at the western end of the swing span.

The bridge is named after a former judge and county commissioner in the early 20th century. In 1934, Houlihan served as grand marshal in Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“It’s definitely unique,” Collins said. “It’s led an incredible life and drivers might be a little sad not seeing the Houlihan anymore. Hopefully they’ll enjoy the new structure.”

The old bridge is being torn down. Collins noted it was made available for an alternative use, focusing on GDOT’s best management practices for storage of historic metal truss bridges, but did not attract any interested parties.

Historical markers will be reinstated in their original positions once the construction is complete.

Additionally, GDOT will create plaques/interpretive panels chronicling the natural, cultural and historical significance of the Houlihan Bridge, Atlantic Coastal Highway, Colerain Plantation District, and flora and fauna of the tidal marsh in the surrounding area. The design and text for the plaques/panels will be submitted to the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office for review and approval.

Other Local Bridges

As part of the $77.7 million GDOT bridge replacement project, the Middle River Bridge, located downriver from the Houlihan Bridge and dating back to 1922 and widened in 1953, is being replaced by a new structure. As with the Houlihan Bridge, offset construction will keep traffic flowing on the existing bridge until the new structure opens in late 2025, according to Collins. The Scott Bridge Company handled construction of the two new bridges, while the Michael Barker Design Firm did the design work.

In neighboring Effingham County, the Steel Bridge in Guyton crosses the Ogechee River, which serves as the boundary between Effingham and Bulloch counties. It started out as a wooden bridge over a century ago and got its name from the steel supports under the structure. In 1950, the present concrete bridge replaced the wooden structure and is part of the route for Hwy. 119.

The river area near the bridge on the Bulloch County side had a boat landing, while a store on the Effingham side featured a wooden floor and hosted Saturday night dances. Susan Exley of the Historic Effingham Society, noting that people still swim in the area, said she has a photo of her father visiting the area on a class trip in the 1940s.

The CSX Savannah River Bridge was built in 1909 served as a conduit for trains since 1909. Measuring 13,000 feet in length, the bridge crosses the Savannah River in Effingham County was rebuilt in 1968-‘69 by Seaboard Coast Line Railroad following the merger of Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line in 1967.

Another span crossing the Savannah River is the Talmadge Bridge. As with the other two bridges, it’s over 70 years old.

Named after Eugene Talmadge, Georgia governor in the 1930s, the cantilever truss bridge, characterized by structures that project horizontally into space and supported only on one end, was constructed in 1953.  With the growth of the port, the bridge became obsolete and was replaced with a cable-stayed bridge in 1991. The new span measured 1,100 feet in length and rose 185 feet above the Savannah River.

That 185 feet isn’t high enough to accommodate the super-sized cargo ships the expanding port wants to attract. Subsequently, officials concluded the bridge needed to be raised to service the Neo-Panamax vessels.

In October 2023, (GDOT) announced it would raise the bridge and deepen and widen the shipping lanes. Two months later, GDOT stated that although the bridge still needed to be raised, it would eventually have to be replaced because it still wouldn’t be high enough to accommodate the larger cargo ships.

The state agency didn’t indicate whether the bridge would be replaced by another bridge or a tunnel. Any replacement is expected to cost more than $1 billion.  ■