Butt Memorial Bridge
The bridge was designed by William Henry Deacy, architect and Nisbet Wingfield, civil engineer. The bridge was fabricated by W. W. Leland Company.
Preservation
In 1994, the fate of the Butt Bridge (as it is affectionately known in Augusta) was in doubt. City planners wished to get $15 million from the Federal Highway Administration to reroute 15th street, creating a new thoroughfare. Plans called for the demolishing of the Butt Bridge. The Butt Memorial Bridge Legal Defense Fund, founded by Ross Snellings, created a popular movement to save the 80-year-old bridge, producing two large-scale concerts nearby, punningly called the Butt Jam. One took place in 1994 and another in 1995. Several well-known bands of the time played the venue and the unofficial slogan, "Save Our Butt," appeared all over town.
The money generated helped stave off the destruction of the bridge for a few years, until an Act of Congress saved it. The Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Appropriations Act, 1999 included funding language through the efforts of U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell and U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood to provide Augusta with nearly $9 million "for implementation of a project consisting of modifications and additions to streets, railroads, and related improvements in the vicinity of the grade crossing of the CSX railroad and 15th Street."
A 2016 $1.5 million rehabilitation of the bridge includes concrete overlay, reconfiguring the lanes to allow for bikes and sidewalks and repair and preservation of the historical decorative elements such as the eagle lanterns. On August 22, 2016, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) closed the bridge. Beginning at 9 a.m., the structure closed to the traveling public for up to 300 days to allow for full deck replacement. The bridge was to reopen prior to the 2017 Masters Tournament. Local engineers expected this Georgia Transportation Investment Act – TIA bridge rehabilitation project to have all deck work finished before the event. Following a delay due to cold weather, the bridge opened temporarily on March 31, 2017. After Masters week, it closed again for installation of lights and flashers, with project completion in April 2017.
See also
Georgia (U.S. state) portal
Transport portal
Engineering portal
- Transportation in Augusta, Georgia § Named bridges
- Passengers of RMS Titanic
References
- ^ "Archibald Willingham Butt Memorial Bridge, (sculpture)".
- ^ "@ugusta History: Fate of Butt Memorial Bridge is unclear". The Augusta Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ "Butt bridge receives funding". The Augusta Chronicle.
- ^ Wolf, Frank R. (October 21, 1998). "Text - H.R.4328 - 105th Congress (1997-1998): Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999". www.congress.gov.
- ^ "ARCHIBALD W. BUTT MEMORIAL BRIDGE REHABILITATION TO BE FUNDED WITH TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT ACT DOLLARS" (PDF). April 22, 2014.
- ^ "Georgia DOT - East - Timeline". Facebook. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022.
- ^ Ethridge, Christie (March 29, 2017). "Butt Memorial bridge set to open temporarily this Friday". WRDW. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "Archibald W. Butt Memorial Bridge Restoration". Augusta Tomorrow. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
Bridge restoration completed 4/2017.
- Pavey, Robert. "Fate of Butt Bridge is unclear". The Augusta Chronicle. June 21, 1996.