CHARLESTON, SC (AP) Like an old person with arthritis, the 76-year-old John P. Grace Memorial Bridge moves and moans. The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, or the Cooper River Bridge as it was familiarly known, was a cantilever bridge that crossed the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina.It opened on August 8, 1929 and was built by the Cooper River Bridge Company. The project is located in Charleston and Mount Pleasant, Charleston County, South Carolina, USA. As the ship destroyed a section of the bridge a green Oldsmobile with a family of five was traveling over. A drifting cargo ship rammed the bridge ripping a 240-foot section. 1966- Companion bridge, the Silas S Pearman Bridge, is built parallel to the Grace span . Shortridge Hardesty of Waddell & Hardesty, New York City designed the bridge. It opened in 1929 and was privately owned by the Cooper River Bridge Company. Shortridge Hardesty of Waddell & Hardesty, New York City designed the bridge. John P. Grace Memorial Bridge is a motorway bridge / freeway bridge, cantilever truss bridge, through truss bridge, steel bridge and concrete pier that was built from 1928 until 1929. 2001- Construction of the Arthur J Rvenal bridge begans July 16, 2005- Old bridges close, new bridge opens - Demolition of Grace and Pearman spans begins. Transcriber's Note: The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, or the Cooper River Bridge as it was familiarly known, was a cantilever bridge that crossed the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina. The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, or the Cooper River Bridge as it was familiarly known, was a cantilever bridge that crossed the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina. Shortridge Hardesty of Waddell & Hardesty, New York City designed the bridge. Apr 7, 2014 - Old and New Cooper River Bridges, Charleston, SC ~ Oldest: John P. Grace Memorial Bridge opened August 8, 1929 and closed July 16, 2005 ~ Old: Silas N. Pearman Bridge opened in 1966 to relieve traffic and closed in 2005 ~ New: Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge opened in July 2005 ~ demolition began on the two older bridges. When the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge went up, motorists were able to cross the Cooper River for almost 8 decades. The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge was the scene of a terrible accident in 1946. 1979-New lane added to Charleston approach - Declared obsolete. The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, constructed in 1928-1929, carries U.S. Route 17 traffic southbound over Town Creek, Drum Island and the Cooper River between Charleston and Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. It opened on August 8, 1929 and was built by the Cooper River Bridge Company. Silas N. Pearman Bridge -- also known locally as the New Cooper River Bridge -- and the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge near Charleston, South Carolina in 1976. (It took me a long time to figure out the exact bridge location since they were destroyed and replaced in 2005). It opened on August 8, 1929 and was built by the Cooper River Bridge Company. Index Journal Greenwood South Carolina 1946-02-25. The car … The giant structure, now known officially as the John P. Grace Memorial bridge, had the highest clearance - 150 feet - of any cantilever type bridge in the world at the time of the construction in 1929. The Grace Memorial Bridge was the first in the pair of bridges constructed to cross the Cooper River. However, the Grace bridge quickly became both functionally and structurally deficient, prompting South Carolina to build a parallel span just a few meters south, known as the Silas N. Pearman bridge. 2007- Demolition of old bridges completed The President of the company was the former Mayor of Charleston, John P. Grace.