The Seven Bridges of Jacksonville | Aerial Video Production
Seven Bridges
Jacksonville, Florida is the most populated city in Florida, and the largest city by a measure of land in the United States. The city has a rich and interesting history. It competed with Hollywood to be the center of motion picture production in the early 20th century and was the birthplace of MGM. The St. Johns River runs through the heart of the city and hosts three major US trade ports for goods from over one hundred different countries. Crossing over the St. Johns River, you'll find the most distinctive landmarks of Jacksonville are the engineering marvels known locally as the seven bridges. Each bridge has a unique story from inception to construction, repair, replacement, and renewal. Each bridge is listed below in chronological order of construction.
The Acosta Bridge, 1921
Originally named the St. John's River Bridge when it was erected in 1921, it was the first bridge built in Jacksonville, FL. Prior to the construction of this bridge, the only way for cars and other vehicles to cross the St. John's river was by ferry--and for the roaring 20's, this was not very efficient. So a bridge was needed to handle and encourage the increased commerce and travel of these economically prosperous times. City Councilman St. Elmo W. Acosta (by now you may have guessed where the bridge got its name), known for his tenacity and forward-thinking nature, worked hard to secure funding for the bridge. St. Elmo was able to gather one million dollars for the construction of the bridge with the promise that tolls would handle maintenance costs. The tolls lasted until 1940, when they were removed and replaced with city sales taxes.
The bridge was constructed as a lift bridge and opened July 21, 1921, to much fanfare and celebration, starting with Miss Jacksonville, Theodosia Acosta, and Miss South Jacksonville, Elizabeth White, meeting in the middle of the span to shake hands, followed by a parade led by St. Elmo W. Acosta himself. 16 years later, St. Elmo passed away in 1947. The bridge was rededicated in 1949 by then-governor Fuller Warren (later honored with his own Jacksonville Bridge) and renamed the St. Elmo W. Acosta bridge.
Over the years the bridge fell into disrepair and earned the nickname "The Yellow Monster" for its faded yellow color and tendency to get stuck in the up position. By 1989, the city council voted to replace the bridge with a new design and structure. Construction began in 1990, with the original lift bridge closing shortly after in 1991. The new bridge opened in 1994 and has been in operation ever since.
The Main Street Bridge, 1941
The Main Street Bridge, with its rich blue color and diagonal trusses, is one of the most memorable bridges of Jacksonville. The vertical lift bridge opened in Jacksonville in 1941. It was the second bridge constructed in the city, and though it came twenty years after the Acosta Bridge, it is the oldest bridge in the city still standing in its original form. The actual name of the bridge is the John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge, but everyone calls it the Main Street bridge because it is directly accessible via Main Street. The name is so well known that it is even labeled Main Street Bridge on maps and aeronautical sectional charts. The Main Street Bridge's average daily traffic is 18,200 cars, making it the second-least-used bridge in the city behind the Acosta, which sees about 14,250 cars a day.
The Mathews Bridge, 1953
In the late 1940s, Jacksonville was experiencing a boom and the city needed to provide access to downtown from more than two directions. The answer was the construction of two more bridges, the Mathews and the Fuller Warren. The Mathews Bridge is a Cantilever Bridge, built in 1953. The bridge is 1.47 miles long and was originally silver in color until 1984, when it was repainted maroon to celebrate the inception of the United States Football League franchise, the Jacksonville Bulls, which only existed for two seasons. The bridge is named after John E. Mathews, who was a Florida Supreme Court Judge from Jacksonville that was instrumental in raising the funds to construct the bridge.
The Fuller Warren Bridge, 1954
The Fuller Warren bridge is one of the busiest bridges in Jacksonville. The original span opened in 1954 and was a bascule bridge (drawbridge) with tolls. The bridge bears the name of former city councilman (1931-1937) and governor (1949-1953) Fuller Warren. Due to traffic and just plain annoyance, local citizens voted to remove all tolls in Jacksonville in 1988. By 1998, the bridge was in serious need of repair and upgrading to handle modern traffic. The original bridge was demolished and replaced with a prestressed concrete girder overpass designed by HNTB Corp and opened in 2002. On average, 150,000 cars and trucks cross the Fuller Warren bridge daily.
The Isaiah D. Hart Bridge, 1967
The Isaiah D. Hart Bridge, built in 1967, is one of the longest cantilever bridges in the world, with its steel [portion] measuring 1,088 feet of the 3,844-foot span. The bridge is named after Isaiah D. Hart, who petitioned to found the city of Jacksonville in June of 1822.
The Buckman, 1970
The Buckman Bridge opened in 1970. It is a dual bridge where east and west bound traffic travel over their own separate bridge. The bridge holds the world record for most dual bridge mileage, spanning 16,300 feet across the St. Johns River. Prior to its construction, to travel from Orange Park to Mandarin, residents had to either travel north and cross the Fuller Warren Bridge (an hour's journey) or travel south to Green Cove Springs and cross the Shands bridge (a two-hour drive).
The Dames Point Bridge, 1989
The Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville, FL was constructed between 1985 - 1989. At two miles in length, the bridge is one of the largest cable-stayed bridges in the United States and utilizes over 20 miles of cables to support itself. The bridge connects the New Berlin and Arlington boroughs of Jacksonville and sees about 72,000 cars and trucks cross it daily.
Equipment Used:
DJI Phantom 4 Pro
Ipad Pro
Sun Shade
Range Extenders
Star Wars Lanyard
