James B. Garrison Bridge

James B. Garrison Bridge
James B. Garrison Bridge
Coordinates	35.30826°N 80.07948°W
Carries	3 lanes of NC 24 / NC 27 / NC 73
Crosses	Pee Dee River/Lake Tillery
Locale	Stanly and Montgomery Counties
Other name(s)	Lake Tillery Bridge; Swift Island Ferry Bridge
Owner	NCDOT
Maintained by	NCDOT
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge (westbound); Steel stringer (eastbound)
Material	Concrete (westbound); Steel (eastbound)
Total length	1,060.1 feet (323.1 m) (westbound); 1,140.1 feet (347.5 m) (eastbound)
Width	24.0 feet (7.3 m) (westbound); 43.0 feet (13.1 m) (eastbound)
History
Opened	1927 (westbound); 1979 (eastbound)
Statistics
Daily traffic	5,000 (as of 2011)
Location
References
	[1][2][3]

The James B. Garrison Bridge are two automobile bridges spanning the Pee Dee River/Lake Tillery, between Stanly and Montgomery Counties. The bridges carry NC 24/NC 27/NC 73.

History

Swift Island Ferry Bridge I

The first bridge was opened on December 28, 1922, entirely in reinforced concrete; it was 1,068.7 feet (325.7 m) in length and 18.0 feet (5.5 m) in width. The bridge consisted of three 146.2-foot (44.6 m) arches and was built at a cost of approximately $186 thousand, it replaced the Swift's Island Ferry service, which the bridge was named after. In 1926, Carolina Power & Light began construction of the Tillery Hydroelectric Plant; the dam built in conjunction with the plant would establish a new lake (Lake Tillery), but would also submerge the bridge. As a result, Carolina Power & Light funded the construction of a new bridge that was overseen by the state. When the new bridge opened in 1927, the original bridge was closed and slated to be razed. In what became known as the "Battle of Swift Island Bridge," the US Army made several different attempts to destroy the bridge: first by overloading with weight, second by aerial bombing and third by artillery. The fourth attempt was finally successful after placing 2,000 pounds (910 kg) of explosives, placed at the bases of the structure, detonating the bridge. In 1928 the lake formed, submerging what little remained of the first bridge.[4][5]

Swift Island Ferry Bridge II

The second and current westbound bridge opened in 1927, replacing the first Swift Island Ferry Bridge. Built entirely in reinforced concrete; the bridge consist of four 210.0-foot (64.0 m) arches, at 1,060.1 feet (323.1 m) long and 24.0 feet (7.3 m) wide. The bridge originally served NC 74 till 1934, when it was replaced by NC 27/NC 73. In 1963-1964, NC 24 was added to the bridge. In 1979, after the completion of a second parallel bridge, the Swift Island Ferry Bridge was renamed, with the new bridge, as the James B. Garrison Bridge, serving two-lanes of westbound NC 24/NC 27/NC 73.