may never have actually been formally named at all in the records, meaning it was never the Talmadge Memorial Bridge to begin with. Dimensions The new bridge provides of vertical navigational clearance for oceangoing vessels. Its horizontal clearance is , with both main piers located on the north and south banks of the Savannah River. With a main span of and a total length of , the new Talmadge Memorial carries four lanes of traffic. The north end of the bridge ends on Hutchinson Island, an island situated between the Savannah River and the Back River. A separate, older, two-lane bridge spans Back River, connecting Hutchinson Island with Jasper County, South Carolina. Comparison with Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and the Sidney Lanier Bridge The proximity and rivalry between Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah and Brunswick often lead to comparisons between the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, the Sidney Lanier Bridge, and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, all of which carry US 17. Completed in 2005, the clearance under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is actually only taller than both the Sidney Lanier Bridge and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. Unlike the Sidney Lanier Bridge and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, however, the Ravenel Bridge has eight travel lanes; the Talmadge and the Sidney Lanier both have just four lanes. The Ravenel also features a dedicated bike/pedestrian lane. The Talmadge Memorial Bridge also has a similar design as the Alex Fraser Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia. Replacement considerations Savannah is currently undergoing expansion, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP), so the port can accommodate newer, larger vessels. In September 2018, Savannah Now reported officials thought the Talmadge Bridge may need to be replaced if the port was to service Neo-Panamax vessels. See also References External links Roads in Savannah, Georgia Buildings and structures in Chatham County, Georgia Road bridges in Georgia (U.S. state) Monuments and memorials in Georgia (U.S. state) Cable-stayed bridges in the United States Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Route 17 Crossings of the Savannah River Bridges completed in 1991