The Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge (known locally as the Woods Bridge), is a swing bridge that connects downtown

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

with Lady's Island and the outer Sea Islands in Beaufort County,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Originally named Lady's Island Bridge, it was renamed in 1971 in memory of Richard V. Woods (1935–1969), who was a South Carolina Highway Patrol officer killed in the line of duty. It was opened on December 17, 1959, replacing an earlier swing-bridge that was built 1927. The bridge swings on its central pier to open for boat traffic that is too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator's station in the center of the span from which an attendant can operate the bridge. Due to the presence of the Intracoastal Waterway, the bridge is required to open frequently for boat traffic to pass through. The bridge was featured in the film ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...

'' (1994) as a stand-in for a bridge across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. In the film, Forrest Gump is interviewed by television reporters about his cross-country running trip while crossing the bridge. In January 2023, the bridge was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, under its original name, Lady's Island Bridge.

Gallery of images

Image:Woods Bridge at Night.jpg, A view of the bridge at night from Downtown Beaufort's Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park Image:Woods Bridge from Ladys Island.jpg, The bridge is shown from Lady's Island. Image:Woods Bridge Open.jpg, The bridge is shown in the open position to allow a sailboat to pass. File:Crossing the swing-span section of Woods Memorial Bridge (2009).jpg, Roadway view on the swing-span section

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Woods Memorial Bridge (Beaufort, South Carolina) Swing bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Beaufort County, South Carolina Transportation in Beaufort County, South Carolina U.S. Route 21 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Beaufort County, South Carolina