Mathews Bridge

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Official name John E. Mathews Bridge
Carries four general purpose lanes
Crosses St. Johns River
Locale Jacksonville, Florida
Maintained by Florida Department of Transportation
ID number 720076
Design steel through truss bridge
Longest span 246.9 meters (810 feet)
Total length 2248.2 meters (7736 feet)
Width 17.7 meters (58 feet)
Vertical clearance 6.80 meters (22.3 feet)
Clearance below 46.3 meters (152 feet)
Opening date 1953

The Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida spans the St. Johns River, bringing traffic along Arlington Expressway between Arlington and Downtown. It was named after John E. Mathews, a Florida state legislator and Chief Justice of the 1955 Florida Supreme Court who helped gather funding for the bridge's construction. [1]

[edit] Accidents

The bridge has a notoriously problematic grating in the center span. After the previous grating wore out, a new one was installed, causing drivers to complain that the replacement was slippery and difficult to cross. That grating was replaced with a new, "state of the art" grating, which has also provoked controversy causing citizens to pressure the Jacksonville City Council to act again concerning the grating. The only acts so far having been made are reducing the speed limit and roughing up the grating.

[edit] External links

St. Johns River crossings in the Jacksonville, Florida area
Upriver from Downtown Jax Shands Bridge (to be replaced or supplemented) - Buckman Bridge - Timuquana Bridge (never built)
Downtown Jax Fuller Warren Bridge - Acosta Bridge - Main Street Bridge - Hart Bridge - Mathews Bridge - 20th Street Extension (never built)
Downriver from Downtown Jax Dames Point Bridge - Florida State Road 113A (never built) - Mayport Ferry