Seven Iconic Jacksonville, Florida, Bridges Crossing the Saint John's River

Jacksonville, Florida, like many vibrant cities in the United States, is divided by a river. Almost half a million people, more than half the population of the city, cross one of the seven vehicle bridges spanning the Saint John's River every day. Each bridge has its own character and history. (Bridges listed from north to south.)

The Napoleon Bonaparte Broward "Dames Point" Bridge - The Dames Point, Jacksonville's newest (it opened in 1989) and northernmost bridge over the Saint Johns, carries 30,000 vehicles a day over the river at SR 9A. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful of the city's bridges.

The John E. Mathews Bridge - The Mathews Bridge opened in 1953 and connects Downtown with the Arlington Expressway over four lanes. Over 66,000 vehicles travel on the red bridge every day.

The Isaiah David Hart Bridge - The green Hart Bridge, opened in 1967, carries 47,000 vehicles over four lanes from Downtown and the Martin Luther King Expressway to Beach Blvd.

The John T. Alsop "Main Street" Bridge - The Main Street Bridge is Jacksonville's most memorable. The bright blue lift bridge opened in 1941, and today it carries about 20,000 drivers a day across US 1 between Ocean Street on the north (west) side of the river and I-95 and US 90 on the south (east) side.

The St. Elmo W. Acosta Bridge - The Acosta, like the Fuller Warren and the Main Street bridges, connects to I-95, US 1 and US 90 on the south (east) bank of the river. On the north (west) side, it has exits onto Riverside Avenue and Water Street. It carries around 32,000 cars a day over six lanes of traffic in addition to two sidewalks and the Jacksonville Skyway. The Acosta, built in 1991, replaced Jacksonville's first bridge across the river, the Saint Johns River Bridge, built in 1925. The Acosta is edged in neon purple lights, providing an attractive addition to the night lights of the city.

The Fuller Warren Bridge - The Fuller Warren is the southernmost of the five bridges that exit directly into Downtown. It also carries I-95 traffic and connects with I-10 on the northwest bank of the river. For this reason it is the city's most heavily traveled bridge, commonly used by both city residents and out of town visitors. Its eight lanes carry approximately 139,000 vehicles a day. The original bridge was built in 1954 and was a toll bridge until the 1980s; the current bridge was opened in 2002. Drivers on the Fuller Warren have a beautiful view of the Jacksonville skyline to the north when traveling at night.

The Henry Holland Buckman Bridge - The city's longest bridge opened in 1970. The only bridge south of downtown, it carries I-295 traffic between the neighborhoods of Mandarin on the east side of the St. Johns and Orange Park and the Westside, including the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, on the other side. This is also the only way to travel between I-95 and I-10 without going through the Downtown interchange. By the mid-1990s, the traffic flow was so heavy that the bridge was expanded from two lanes in each direction to four. Even so, this is one of the city's busiest bridges, carrying almost 120,000 vehicles every day, and rush hour delays are standard practice.

Bonus: the Saint Johns River "Mayport" Ferry - There is one other way for a vehicle to cross the Saint Johns River in Jacksonville. Since 1948, travelers on the famous A1A, just 2.5 miles south of the point where the Saint Johns empties into the Atlantic Ocean, have been loading their cars, trucks and bicycles on the Ferry for the five minute trip across the river between Mayport and Fort George Island. The Ferry operates on the hour and half hour between 6 am and 10 pm every day of the year.

Sources:
http://www.jacksonville.com/discover/2005/stories/011205/com_17624389.shtml
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.stjohnsriverferry.com/