Changing the face of Charleston : The unbuilding of the Grace and Pearman Bridges
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The story of building the Ravenel Bridge
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Unbuilding Highlights
(Apr 10)
Meeting St. Stories
(Jul 10 2006)
East Bay Stories
(Oct 10 2006)
Drum Island Stories
(Feb 17)
Pearman Bridge Stories
(Apr 3)
Grace Bridge Stories
(Apr 3)
Imposions: Prep and boom
(Mar 27)
Unbuilding Bridge Blog
(July 23 2006)
Unbuilding Challenges
(Mar 13)
Learning Links
(Feb 20)
Unbuilding Stories
(Mar 13)
Video and Sounds
(Feb 28)

June 30, 2006:
Marine life in unexpected places

While Mickey has been doing his implosions and the iron workers have been doing their unbuilding - what is happening in the Cooper River? Remember last fall when we explored building artifical reefs outside Charleston Harbor? Well today, I thought some of Sparky's photos provided a nice lesson in marine life. More specifically, about oxidation and the bioavailability of oxygen in water.

Of course, everything starts with Pat and the Capt. Gary. Pat pushes folks around and positions them into their worksite locations. Actually Lewis, with Pushy, has his own role in keeping folks in their worksite locations.

This is the fishing rig - usually Manny is driving the crane

and here is some of the harvest shoing marine growth as well as rust. Oxygen @ work!

Inside a rusting box girder - more signs of oxygen working within the Cooper River. Oxidation is the name of the game. Also stuff (algae?) growing on the steel.

But look what is growing at a steroid rate. Here is early marine life growing on the Grace and Pearman girders

more stuff growing on the girders while they were experiencing baptism

and here is Sparky at his best. A study of the Ravenel Bridge with Steve Testa's framing the bridge and the bow of Pat's tug.

Another view

and a final view

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Attribution: C. Frank Starmer and Sparky Witte from http://oldcooperriverbridge.org