Going to miss driving over this bridge when it gets replaced in a few months (the bridge will still be open during construction of the new one). It's fun going over it!
Before this bridge was built, traffic used to be on a dirt road where they had to stop and look for a train.
The road prior to this 1938 bridge (then-US 264) was paved by 1926.
You can still see the old route on the aerial view. Plus a piece of it is still in use to the northwest of this overpass (ironically, the old road is called Overpass Lane).
So, it makes me wonder if they used railroad gates or just stop and look crossing during that time...
Prior to the 1960s, most crossings in the South only needed crossbucks (R15-1 = stop/look/listen rule) except when the crossing was too close to a railyard or industrial spur. Railroad operating rules require that the crossing be flagged by the crew in those situations. Quite frankly, those train crews were plenty sufficient to flag the crossing (often comprised of five or more railroaders riding the train). I suspect that the reason for a grade separation was that there had been a busy agricultural siding in Grimesland where trains frequently blocked US-264. There's still a switch with a short section of siding track heading back towards this bridge, closer into town.