The Bridge Builders: And Charleston's Grand New Span

by Tony Bartelme, Jessica VanEqueren

The Bridge Builders is about the monumental effort to build North America’s largest cable-stayed bridge. The setting is Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, scene of famous battles and the beginning of the Civil War. The characters are an eclectic group of managers and laborers from all over the world. This Second Edition includes updated facts and information and breathtaking photos of the opening celebration during the summer of 2005. This hardcover edition includes blueprints of the bridge. With dramatic photos and a fast-paced storyline, The Bridge Builders takes you through all phases of the bridge’s construction, with a special focus on the carpenters, ironworkers and engineers who put their fingerprints on this new Southern landmark. You’ll meet April, the only woman on the towers; Big Dave, the brash superintendent; Lumbee, the Native American ironworker; and the French crews hanging the bridge’s bright white cables. You’ll watch how workers cheat death and overcome personal obstacles to build the bridge a year ahead of schedule. In an economy increasingly dominated by service industries, erecting a great bridge remains a uniquely raw and risky endeavor. The Bridge Builders offers a front row seat to this dangerous industrial ballet.

92 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

I'm an investigative reporter and author in Charleston, South Carolina. I've been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize three times and earned many national journalism awards, including the Scripps Howard, Gerald Loeb, APME, ASNE, National Press Foundation, Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi, and others.

Reviews

[Penguin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating work that focuses on the people who built a large bridge in Charleston, South Carolina.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read for us pluffmudders.