Boca Grande Causeway

Bridge in Florida, United States of America

26°49′00″N 82°16′25″W / 26.81669°N 82.27364°W / 26.81669; -82.27364Carries

CR 771 (Gasparilla Road)CrossesGasparilla SoundLocaleCharlotte County, FloridaOfficial nameBoca Grande CausewayMaintained byGasparilla Island Bridge AuthorityCharacteristicsDesign1 steel swing bridge and 2 concrete concrete girder bridgesTotal length2.5 miles (4.0 km)Clearance below22 feet (6.7 m) (north swing bridge)
25 feet (7.6 m) (center bridge)
16 feet (4.9 m) (south bridge)HistoryOpened1958 (original causeway and bridges)
2013-2015 (current bridges)StatisticsToll$6 (island-bound traffic only)Location Map

The Boca Grande Causeway is a causeway located in Charlotte County, Florida, connecting the community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island with the mainland near Placida. The 2.5-mile (4.0 km) causeway crosses Gasparilla Sound and consists of three bridges, and is the only vehicular access to the island.

History

The Boca Grande Causeway originally opened in 1958 after six years of construction, replacing a vehicle ferry service. The causeway and its original bridges were built parallel to the now abandoned Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway. Passenger rail service to the island was discontinued by the railroad shortly after the causeway opened. While the railroad was abandoned in 1981, the adjacent trestles remain mostly intact today and are visible from the causeway.^[1]

The Causeway was privately built, but was sold to the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority, a government agency created to oversee operation of the causeway, in 1998.^[2] The northernmost bridge (connecting to the mainland) includes a 213-foot (65 m) swing span over the navigation channel. The swing bridge, which is one of a few remaining swing bridges in Florida, is 13 feet (4.0 m) tall at its highest point. The center and south bridges are fixed span bridges, and are 25 feet (7.6 m) and 12 feet (3.7 m) tall respectively.^[3]

The current center and south bridges were completed in 2013.^[4]^[5] The current swing bridge was completed and opened to traffic in late 2015. The original bridges were replaced due to their age and functional obsolescence. The current bridges are taller and also include shoulders for bicycle traffic allowing improved access for bicyclists using the popular Boca Grande Bike Path better access to the mainland and to the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail.^[6]

Gallery

The north (swing) bridge
The south bridge
The center bridge
The original swing bridge which operated from 1958 to 2015
Gasparilla Sound and the defunct railroad trestle as seen from the center bridge
The current swing bridge with the original behind it prior to demolition

References

^ Turner, Gregg M. (December 1, 1999). Railroads of Southwest Florida. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing.
^ "About Us". Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013.
^ "Bridge Info". Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013.
^ O'Connor, Terry (January 22, 2013). "South Bridge opens on 'historic Boca Grande day'". Gasparilla Gazette.
^ "GIBA Construction Progress Update: New Center & South Bridges" (PDF). August 23, 2013.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Strout, Liza (March 30, 2012). "GIBA board discusses causeway bike safety plans". Boca Beacon. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.

External links

Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. FL-28, "Boca Grande Swing Bridge, Boca Grande Causeway/County Road 771, spanning Placida Harbor/Gasparilla Sound, Placida, Charlotte County, FL", 15 photos, 33 data pages, 2 photo caption pages

Bridges and tunnels in Florida

Panhandle