Cracked bearing means repairs for Ravenel bridge

The Associated Press

CHARLESTON, S.C. --

At least one of the large blocks of solid rubber that act as shock absorbers for the $632 million bridge over the Cooper River in Charleston is cracked and engineers say they plan to replace all eight of them.

State bridge engineers say the rubber bearings, which weigh several tons each, prevent the deck of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge from swaying in a hurricane or earthquake don't affect the bridge's structural integrity.

"They're basically shock absorbers that protect the deck from banging into the towers," assistant construction engineer Leland Colvin said.

Colvin said the work falls under the state's warranty on the 2-year-old bridge and the state won't have to pay for the replacement work to be done next year.

The cracks were discovered during one of the bridge's first inspections, Colvin said.

The bridge also has a problem with some improperly installed plastic drain pipes, which had been inserted too far into another drainage pipe, causing a blockage, interim bridge maintenance engineer Lee Floyd said. Workers recently fixed that problem.

Colvin said the problems were not significant. "I'd say the bridge is operating very satisfactorily," he said.

The French company that installed the cables is scheduled to do its first inspection and tuneup in September, Colvin said.

Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.charleston.net