What clients say about New Burton’s Ferry Bridge in Girard (GA)
The New Burton's Ferry Bridge, completed in 1965, replaced the original 1938 swing bridge that once spanned the Savannah River and now carries modern highway traffic along US 301. Its construction marked the end of the ferry service that had operated at this crossing since the early 1700s, a route used by generations of settlers and traders navigating the Georgia-South Carolina border.
By the mid-1960s, the aging swing bridge had become inadequate for the region's growing transportation needs. Its rotating center span, once essential for river navigation, had become a bottleneck for vehicles and a maintenance burden for the counties it connected. In response, engineers designed and built the New Burton's Ferry Bridge. It is a fixed plate girder structure that prioritized durability and ease of upkeep. Unlike its predecessor, this bridge does not accommodate river traffic, but it offers uninterrupted flow for motorists traveling between Screven County Georgia and Allendale County South Carolina.
The bridge is durable, simple and efficient. It is completely devoid of any fanciness or features. It is utilitarian and unadorned, serving its purpose without ceremony. Its clean lines and lack of ornamentation reflect the practical mindset of mid-century infrastructure planning, where function took precedence over form. Today, it remains a quiet workhorse of the highway system, standing in contrast to the rusting swing bridge nearby that is a relic of a slower, more navigable past.
This is known as the Savannah River Bridge on the Georgia/South Carolina line in Allendale, county in SC, and in Scriven County, Georgia. There is a boat landing here maintained by SC Parks. It's a favorite hangout for fishers and park goers alike. It's a great place to go "down by the river ".
It's nice to see that old highway bridge still standing. And they should bring I-77 south to I-16, below Statesboro, Georgia., to relieve traffic off I-26. Since they built I-95 towards Savannah instead of along US Hwy 301 as promised by South Carolina and Georgia DOT's?
It’s awesome to see these old structures still standing the bridge is still intact and it’s turned so the channel is open. The elevated roadway is still standing.
