“Freeing of the Toll” on John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, June 1946

In June 1946, Charleston motorists celebrate in the streets and on the roadways “the freeing of the toll,” permitting free transit on the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge (Cooper River Bridge). The bridge was the main and only thoroughfare by vehicle for incoming traffic to residents commuting and tourists visiting Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island. The bridge, which opened on Aug. 8, 1929, was owned by Cooper River Bridge, Inc. and named after the president of the company and former Mayor of Charleston, John P. Grace. The total construction costs were approximately $6 million, to be financed by a 50-cent toll until bonds were eventually repaid, which occurred 17 years later on this joyous Lowcountry day in Charleston, South Carolina.

Credit: Provided by Hal Coste, Sullivan’s Island resident and past president of Battery Gadsden Cultural Center.

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