 Swing Bridge Home | Festival Centre | Beach Centre | Media | Lodging FAQ Best Viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x+ at 800 x 600 Resolution or Higher. | |
| |
•  
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
|
|
| (c) 2007 Ova Yonda, Inc. |
Surf City has one of the few swing bridges over the
intracoastal waterway, still in operation -- and this working antique figures to
function well into the 21st century. Built in 1954 & 1955, it was rushed to
completion after Hurricane Hazel temporarily swept away the pontoon bridge in
October of that year.
It was lifted several feet in the air by a twister from Hurricane Fran in 1996, but damage was slight. The metal-deck structure quickly re-opened to traffic after the storm passed, providing a vital link to the beach and its recovery. It generally opens on the hour (or less often when boat traffic is thin), giving locals a convenient reason for being late to appointments.
When it was constructed, the bridge cost $432,000 to build. It is two stories tall, with machinery and a back-up generator on the lower floor and a control room on top. It is staffed 24 hours a day, and to open and close it takes a full eight minutes.
On summer holiday weekends that can back up traffic for up to a mile, but the bridge is also a favorite spot for photographers. If the engines fail (which is rare) the bridge can even be hand-winched open and closed.
The site of the bridge at Sears Landing was once a shallow channel where livestock could be herded over to the island to graze. Today, the causeway marks the center of the Surf City business district and although a new bridge has been discussed for the last decade, it has not yet made the state's Transportation Improvement Plan.
Locate and Reserve Lodging near this Landmark
|
|
•
Last Revised: October 20, 2006 02:28 PM.
North Carolina
