For many Charleston drivers, it is simply part of the trip to West Ashley. But the Ashley River Memorial Bridge carries another meaning: the century-old crossing was dedicated to South Carolinians who died in World War I.
The bridge opened in January 1926, with its memorial dedication following that spring, according to the City of Charleston’s November 5 anniversary announcement. Its 100th year gives Veterans Day an unusually familiar local connection.
The city scheduled a November 9 centennial observance at Brittlebank Park with Mayor William Cogswell and South Carolina Transportation Secretary Justin Powell. That scheduled date has passed; this is a look at the crossing’s history, not an invitation to an upcoming ceremony.
Which Ashley River bridge?
The memorial bridge is the older span carrying U.S. 17 southbound toward West Ashley. The parallel T. Allen Legare Bridge opened in 1961 to carry traffic toward downtown, according to Charleston Business Report’s historical account, which cites state transportation records and earlier newspaper reporting.
The 1926 bridge originally handled traffic in both directions. That change helps explain why the two crossings can feel like a single route even though their histories differ by decades.
The same account describes a 1,733-foot bridge with a double-leaf bascule span: two movable sections lift for boats. The decorative houses at the corners of the drawbridge are Mediterranean Revival in style. Those small towers make the structure visually distinctive as well as functional.
Knowing the dedication changes how the name reads. “Memorial” refers to people lost in war, rather than simply describing an old structure. It is a piece of remembrance built into a working transportation route.
A separate crossing for walking and biking
The centennial is also a useful moment to distinguish the old bridge from a current project. The city’s Ashley River Crossing page describes a separate bicycle and pedestrian bridge under construction.
That project is intended to link West Ashley and downtown, connecting the West Ashley Greenway, Brittlebank Park and Ashley River Walk. It also includes crosswalk additions at Wapoo Road and the Greenway, and around the U.S. 17 ramps, Lockwood Drive and Bee Street.
The city page says construction is ongoing. The memorial bridge’s anniversary does not mean the new walking and biking connection has opened.
For residents who know the river primarily through a daily commute, the distinction is worth keeping: one crossing preserves a century-old dedication, while the separate project aims to change how people reach the opposite bank without a car.
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