Boca Grande Causeway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boca Grande Causeway
Official name Boca Grande Causeway
Crosses Gasparilla Sound
Locale Charlotte County, Florida
Maintained by Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority
Design 1 steel swing bridge & 2 concrete girder bridges
Total length 2.5 Miles
Clearance below 13 feet (north swing bridge)
25 feet (center bridge)
16 feet (south bridge)
Opened 1958 (original bridges)
2013 (current south & center bridges)
Toll $6 (island-bound traffic only)

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

History

The causeway was built parallel to the now abandoned Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railway bridges

The Boca Grande Causeway opened in 1958 after six years of construction, replacing a vehicle ferry service. The Causeway was built parallel to the now abandoned Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway. The railroad provided passenger service to the island, but it was discontinued shortly after the causeway opened. The railroad was abandoned in 1981 but the adjacent trestles are mostly intact today and are visible from the causeway. [1]

The Causeway was privately built, but was sold to the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority in 1998.[2] The northernmost bridge features a 213 ft swing span over the navigation channel, and is one of a few remaining swing bridges in Florida. The swing bridge is 13 feet tall at its highest point. The center and south bridges are fixed span bridges, and are 12 feet and 25 feet tall respectively. [3]

Bridge Replacement

As of fall 2013, the original center and south bridges of the Boca Grande Causeway have been replaced with newer bridges.[4][5] The swing bridge is the causeway's only original bridge from 1958 still in operation. Although, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has made plans to replace it with another similar swing bridge. The newer 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 south bridge

  • The center bridge

  • Gasparilla Sound and the defunct railroad trestle as seen from the center bridge

References

  1. ↑ Turner, Gregg M. (December 1, 1999). Railroads of Southwest Florida. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. 
  2. ↑ About Us (Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority)
  3. ↑ Bridge Info (Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority)
  4. ↑ O'Connor, Terry (January 22, 2013). "South Bridge opens on ‘historic Boca Grande day’". Gasparilla Gazette. 
  5. ↑ GIBA Construction Progress Update: New Center & South Bridges August 23, 2013 #63
  6. ↑ Strout, Liza (March 30, 2012). "GIBA board discusses causeway bike safety plans". Boca Beacon. Retrieved 17 July 2013. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.