The bridge eventually became a danger for large ships entering the Port of Savannah, home to the largest single ocean container terminal on the U.S. eastern seaboard, and the nation's fourth-busiest seaport.

The replacement bridge was originally suggested to be named for the Native American Creek leader Tomochichi, an important figure in Savannah's founding in 1733.

Talmadge was an old-school conservative Southern Democrat, who pursued then-popular and openly racist objectives such as restoring the white primary and enforcing segregation of the state universities.

A separate, older, two-lane bridge spans Back River, connecting Hutchinson Island with Jasper County, South Carolina.

[7] In September 2018, Savannah Now reported officials thought the Talmadge Bridge may need to be raised or replaced if the port was to service Neo-Panamax vessels.

[9] However, just two months later in December 2023, GDOT announced that although it will still be raised, the Talmadge Bridge would have eventually be replaced in its entirety because the structure would still not be tall enough to accommodate the next generation of cargo ships.