Edisto Big Bridge - Cal Griffin

The Edisto Big Bridge

Edisto Beach Real Estate

Edisto Beach, SC

: McKinley Washington Bridge, Edisto SC

….So you have made it to the Big Bridge…only just a few miles to go to get to Edisto. That’s what our parents would say when we were children… The ride to the Beach seemed like an all day ride. But we knew, once we got to the Big Bridge that we were almost to Edisto. Back then the Bridge was called the Dawhoo Bridge. It was a swing bridge that was built in 1954. It was electrically controlled by a bridge tender. Its operator worked in twelve hour shifts and his tiny office was located in the middle of the span. We often would joke that the only time you would see a traffic jam on Edisto was when the bridge would get stuck in the open position- which happened often.

: Dawhoo Bridge

: The Bridge Tender's Office

: Dual Lane Dahwoo Bridge

The first bridge was built around the 1920 was a single lane. It too was a swing bridge. This bridge was manually operated by a giant crank. However, the operator lived in a caretaker’s house on the shore. When a large boat or ship wanted to pass, they would blow their horn and the operator would come out and climb up on the bridge and turn the crank by hand to slide the bridge open.

: Circa 1920s Dawhoo Bridge

: The Big Bridge

Today we have a dual lane span bridge. With a cost of $54.9 million dollars and a span of 5,584 feet is a modern marvel. It was built and dedicated around 1993. It was named after Congressman Mckinley Washingtion, Jr.

I know that you are about ready for some warmer weather and a good dose of Edisto…so I took a few photos of the Big Bridge and some cool views…just so you know that you are almost there…