{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox bridge | bridge_name = Sloans Ferry Bridge | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image = Sloans Ferry Bridge Postcard.JPG | image_size = | alt = | caption = Sloans Ferry Bridge Postcard | official_name = | other_name = Catawba River Bridge and<br /> Soldiers Memorial Bridge | carries = 4 lanes of {{Jct|state=NC|US|29|US|74}} | crosses = [[Catawba River]]/[[Lake Wylie]] | locale = [[Gaston County, North Carolina|Gaston]] and [[Mecklenburg County, North Carolina|Mecklenburg]] Counties | owner = [[North Carolina Department of Transportation|NCDOT]] | maint = [[North Carolina Department of Transportation|NCDOT]] | id = | architect = | designer = | engineering = | design = Steel stringer | material = | length = {{convert|1,124.1|ft|m}} | width = {{convert|43.3|ft|m}} | height = | mainspan = | spans = | pierswater = | load = | clearance = | below = | life = | builder = | fabricator = | begin = | complete = | cost = | open = 1933 (second structure) | inaugurated = | toll = | traffic = 17,000 (as of 2012) | preceded = | followed = | heritage = | collapsed = | closed = | replaces = | map_cue = | map_image = | map_alt = | map_text = | map_width = | coordinates = {{coord|35.24577|-81.00914|display=inline,title}} | references = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://uglybridges.com/1325967|title=Uglybridges.com: US29/US74 over Catawba River|access-date=April 21, 2014}}</ref><ref name=BridgeHunter>{{cite web|url=http://bridgehunter.com/nc/gaston/catawba-river/|title=Bridgehunter.com: Sloans Ferry Bridge|access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref> | extra = }} The '''Sloans Ferry Bridge''' is a four-lane automobile [[bridge]] spanning the [[Catawba River]]/[[Lake Wylie]] between [[Belmont, North Carolina|Belmont]], in [[Gaston County, North Carolina|Gaston County]], and [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], in [[Mecklenburg County, North Carolina|Mecklenburg County]]. The bridge carries [[U.S. Route 29 in North Carolina|US 29]]/[[U.S. Route 74 in North Carolina|US 74]] and is utilized mostly by local traffic.
==History==
===Sloans Ferry Bridge I=== The first bridge was built in 1911, entirely in reinforced concrete; it was {{convert|1,920|ft|m}} in length and {{convert|18|ft|m}} in width. The bridge replaced Sloan's Ferry service, which the bridge was named after. The bridge was damaged by major flooding in July 1916 and could not be rebuilt till around or after 1920, when it received Federal Aid that help rebuild the bridge as part of the National Highway. In 1921, it became part of [[North Carolina Highway 20|NC 20]]; in 1927, it also became part of US 29/US 74.<ref>{{cite book | title = Engineering and Contracting, Volume 39 | publisher = Myron C. Clark Publishing Co | page= 267 | year = 1913 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = Engineering News, Volume 76 | publisher = Hill Publishing Company | page= 560 | year = 1916 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Aheron | first = Piper Peters | title = Gastonia and Gaston County, North Carolina | publisher = Arcadia Publishing | page = 64 | year = 2011 | isbn = 978-0-7385-0673-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = North Carolina State Highway Commission | publisher = Edwards & Broughton Printing Co. | page= 71 | year = 1920 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bridgehunter.com/nc/gaston/bh75529/|title=Bridgehunter.com: Sloans Ferry Bridge (Old)|access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref>
===Sloans Ferry Bridge II=== The second and current bridge was built 1933 and replaced the first Sloans Ferry Bridge. Built in steel and concrete caste-in-place; it is {{convert|1,124.1|ft|m}} in length and {{convert|43.3|ft|m}} and was helped paid by Federal Aid. Plaques on the bridge show that it was erected as a memorial to the men of the counties of Mecklenburg and Gaston who served in the world war (1917-1918). Originally built as a two-lane bridge with shoulders for pedestrians and temporary parking, it was widen to four-lanes in the 1950s.<ref name=BridgeHunter/>
==Future== The [[North Carolina Department of Transportation]] (NCDOT) first released plans in 2017 that would replace the Sloans Ferry Bridge with two new three-lane bridges, which will also include bike lanes and a pedestrian walkway. The plans also included deck space to accommodate future transit such as [[light rail]]. At a cost of $37 million; construction was expected to begin in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.gastongazette.com/news/20171213/state-approves-money-to-rebuild-us-74-river-bridge |title= State approves money to rebuild U.S. 74 river bridge |newspaper= [[The Gaston Gazette]] |last= Barrett |first= Michael |date= January 5, 2016 |access-date= December 13, 2017}}</ref> In 2022, NCDOT released its revised plans that would replace the bridge with one six-lane bridge with protected bicycle and pedestrian shared paths on both sides. The bridge will also be raised at the mid-point to allow better navigational clearance for boating traffic and include a pair of pedestrian overlooks. The revised project will cost $56.6 million, but will also include improvements to the nearby intersection of Hazeleen Avenue and Catawba Street ([[North Carolina Highway 7|NC 7]]). Construction is slated to begin in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last= Pierre |first= Jesse |url= https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wilkinson-boulevard-bridge-replacement-charlotte-nc-local-news/275-26141398-98d7-4fac-90cb-a791bc25bffe |title= US 74 bridge at Gaston-Meck county line to be replaced as part of $57 million project |date= August 27, 2024 |publisher= [[WCNC-TV]] |location= Charlotte, NC |access-date= May 22, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://ncdot.publicinput.com/K2407 |title= B-6051 and U-6143: Wilkinson Blvd. in Gaston and Mecklenburg Counties |publisher= [[North Carolina Department of Transportation]] |access-date= May 22, 2024 }}</ref>
==See also== * {{Portal-inline|Transport}} * {{Portal-inline|Engineering}} * {{Portal-inline|United States}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Gaston County, North Carolina]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina]] [[Category:Bridges completed in 1933]] [[Category:Road bridges in North Carolina]] [[Category:U.S. Route 29]] [[Category:U.S. Route 74]] [[Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System]] [[Category:Steel bridges in the United States]] [[Category:Catawba River]]