The inclined plane at Aiken, South Carolina, was finally replaced by a modest rerouting and long cut in 1852. The terminus at Hamburg had never lived up to its promise, and the lack of an extension across the Savannah River to Augusta, Georgia, was an increasing embarrassment. After an attempt to gain control of the road bridge at Augusta, the SCRR finally overcame the resistance of local interests, built its own bridge in 1853 and made a direct connection with the Georgia Railroad in 1859. Local interests had also stopped the line at the city limits of Charleston, greatly hampering connection to seaport terminals, and were not overcome until 1885.
