Boca Grande Causeway
| Boca Grande Causeway | |
|---|---|
| File:Boca Grande swing bridges old and new.JPG
The current Boca Grande Swing Bridge with the original behind it
|
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| Crosses | Gasparilla Sound |
| Locale | Charlotte County, Florida |
| Official name | Boca Grande Causeway |
| Maintained by | Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority |
| Characteristics | |
| 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) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1958 (original causeway & bridges) 2013-2015 (current bridges) |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | $6 (island-bound traffic only) |
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 causeway crosses Gasparilla Sound and consists of three bridges, and is the only vehicular access to the island.
Contents
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 ft swing span over the navigation channel. The swing bridge, which is one of a few remaining swing bridges in Florida, 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]
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
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Boca Causeway South Bridge.jpg
The south bridge
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Boca Grande center bridge.JPG
The center bridge
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Boca Grande Swing Bridge.jpg
The original swing bridge which operated from 1958 to 2015
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Gasparilla Sound.jpg
Gasparilla Sound and the defunct railroad trestle as seen from the center bridge
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ About Us (Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority)
- ↑ Bridge Info (Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ GIBA Construction Progress Update: New Center & South Bridges August 23, 2013 #63
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
