BridgeCharleston · US
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is Charleston's unmistakable icon—a sweeping cable-stayed span whose twin diamond-shaped towers rise 575 feet above the Cooper River, linking the historic peninsula to the coastal town of Mount Pleasant. Opened in 2005, the bridge was the longest cable-stayed span in the Western Hemisphere at the time of completion and remains one of South Carolina's tallest structures. Beyond carrying nearly 100,000 vehicles daily, the bridge offers something rare for a major highway crossing: a 12-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle path called Wonders' Way that runs the full 2.5-mile length, granting walkers and cyclists panoramic views of Charleston's church steeples, the working harbor, Fort Sumter, and the Atlantic beyond. At night, the towers are illuminated to reinforce their geometric form, turning the bridge into a glowing landmark visible across the city.