The Seven Bridges of Jacksonville

Jacksonville is the largest city (in both population and area) in the state of Florida. It is also considered to be one of the largest cities in the entire United States. It is located on the beautiful historic St. Johns River and is right next door to St. Augustine - one of the oldest cities in America. Jacksonville was previously named Cowford since it originally was a frequent stopping ground for cattle crossings because of its convenient location near a River.

As a visitor to Jacksonville, you'll fall in love with the small downtown city divided by the St. John's River. As the home to seven bridges, Jacksonville has been long considered to be The River City.

The most striking of the bridges in Jacksonville is The Main Street Bridge - a blue draw bridge visible from the River Walk downtown and nestled between two of Jacksonville's other bridges. At night the bridge lights up, illuminating its beautiful blue tone.

The Dames Pointe is a cable-stayed bridge located in a less popular region of North Jacksonville, near the Jacksonville Zoo. It towers taller than any other bridge in this great City. It is two miles long and stands 175 feet above the river.

Being approximately 3 miles long, the Buckman Bridge is a constant means of transportation between the East and West sides of town. It is of beam construction, and the lanes are built as separate bridge structures. Both Downtown Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Naval Air Station are visible from this lengthy bridge.

The Matthews Bridge is a red metal framed bridge connecting Downtown and the East side of Jacksonville. It begins near the Alltel Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and exits onto Arlington Expressway. It recently was replaced with a new and safer version of grating in 2007. Fred Durst of the band Limp Bizkit was a native of Jacksonville and refers to this bridge in his song "My Generation" where he says "John Otto, take 'em to the Mathews bridge".

The Hart Bridge is considered to be a cantilever bridge. It was named after Isaiah Hart, the founder of Jacksonville. According to an article from the Times Union, locals refer to this green painted bridge as the "green monster". At night, the bridge lights up like Christmas twinkle lights and is considered to be a favorite to look at, along with The Main Street Bridge.

The Acosta Bridge crosses from the Downtown of Jacksonville. Before its replacement in 1991, the bridge was called the St. Johns River Bridge. It is considered as a fixed span bridge, and it also houses the tracks of the city's small SkyWay train. The Acosta is also considered to be striking due to its purple neon lights that streak across the bridge at night.

The last of these seven bridges is the Fuller Warren Bridge. It connects the Westside of Jacksonville to I95 South, towards Jacksonville Beach. It is a segmental bridge that spans over 7500 feet. It provides a beautiful view of the heart of Jacksonville, an especially gorgeous drive at night.

Whether you are a native of Jacksonville or a visitor, the Seven Bridges of this River City provide not only the means of travelling across the St. Johns River, but creates a wonderful visual experience and adds special history to our city.

Sources:

Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville,_Florida

Times Union - www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030908/spo_255229021.shtml