Talmadge Bridge 1975

https://www.savannahnow.com/picture-gallery/news/2023/01/23/archives-photos-old-talmadge-bridge/11105014002/

The original Talmadge bridge was a cantilever truss bridge built in 1953. It eventually became a danger for large ships entering the Port of Savannah, home to the largest single ocean container terminal on the U.S. eastern seaboard, and the nation's fourth-busiest seaport. A replacement better able to not impede maritime traffic was completed in March 1991. The new Talmadge Memorial bridge is a cable-stayed bridge.

The original Talmadge closed in March of 1991. The last vehicle to make the trip across to South Carolina was an 18-wheeler. Ships making calls on Savannah in 1954 averaged 15,000 tons. As the decades passed, ships started getting bigger and by 1987 ships were running 40,000 tons, about the same as a World War II battleship.

The news report stated the Coast Guard would prefer the bridge be torn down and replaced with a tunnel, or not replaced at all.