Building the Ravenel Bridge


After all the photos I took, I've tried to arrange them in some order based on various topics I found interesting.

And a reminder from T.S. Eliot (East Coker from the Four Quartets) 

Old men ought to be explorers
Here and there does not matter
We must be still and still moving
Into another intensity
For a further union, a deeper communion
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May 25, 2005
Paving is finished - and what a sunset!

I spent the day at the Savannah River Research Center and did not get back to Charleston until about 6pm. I got to the bridge about 8pm thinking I'll look and surely they will not start paving before 10pm. I got there and guess what? - they had not only started they have almost finished. So here is the end of the paving story.

First - your typical Charleston sunset - simply fantastic

And the 50 foot (more or less) last segment - looking east

The last segment looking west

The tired Bidwell paving machine

Remaining was a src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.ravenelbridge.net/small gutter to be paved

Here is the entire team waiting for everything to be in their respective launching positions. The man on the left is operating the mixing machine while the guys on the right are waiting for the mixed concrete to slide down the delivery trough.

Doing the finish work and the sunset.

As the mixing truck drives into the sunset, here is a final view of the entire paving ensemble - a mixer, the team and the sunset.

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C. Frank Starmer

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