While exploring Charleston, South Carolina we had to check out and drive across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. This cable-stayed bridge, also known as just the Ravenel Bridge, spans the Cooper River and connects downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. With a main span of 1,546 feet (471 m), it is stated to be the third longest among cable-stayed bridges in the Western Hemisphere. It has two diamond-shaped towers, each 575 feet (175 m) high and is 13,200 feet (4,000 m).
There are eight 12-foot (3.7 m) lanes, four in each direction plus a 12-foot (3.7 m) bicycle and pedestrian path, which runs along the south edge of the bridge overlooking Charleston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2018, the bridge was carrying an average of 96,300 vehicles per day. However it was designed for traffic of 100,000 vehicles per day, and forecasted to reach that number in 2030. On a side note, the bridge is home to the annual USA Track & Field 10,000 metres (6.2 mi) Cooper River Bridge Run on the first weekend of April. This event attracts up to 50,000 people. The route starts in Mount Pleasant and finishes in downtown Charleston at Marion Square.
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