This is a 3.1 mile bridge carrying I-295 traffic over the St. John's River in Jacksonville, Florida!
When I first moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 1992, someone warned me about driving on the Buckman Bridge. "You don't want to get stuck in rush hour traffic on the Buckman!" That warning did make an impression on me because for several years, I would NOT even consider a job where I had to cross that bridge.
Well, as things would have it, an opportunity arose for a marketing manager position with a Fortune 100 company in Orange Park. Hmmm, that meant tackling the Buckman Bridge twice daily. I thought I'd give it a try. So, I ended up commuting over that bridge for 5 years. Luckily, I rarely got stuck in traffic as I went against the famous flow. EVERYBODY heads south on that bridge in the mornings, returning north in the evenings. It's a major gridlock. I was just the opposite of that!
Traffic count average daily: 119,000
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Quick, cast your vote!
"Look out for the unusual debris found on the bridge! Or, worse: propelled debris!"
Danger, Flying Objects!
Warning Will Robinson!!! In the years that I daily traveled the Buckman, I've been hit with an oil jug, had my front end wrapped with a plastic film, dodged a cooler and a ladder, and nearly blew a tire by knicking a 2x4! Oh, that's just some of the highlights.
The Buckman Bridge at a glance
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The Buckman Bridge carries I-295 traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It was named for Henry Holland Buckman, a prominent legislator and attorney who was instrumental in establishing a state road system.
It is of beam-type construction, approximately 3.1 miles (5 km) in length, and travels roughly east-west. The eastbound (southbound) and westbound (northbound) lanes are built on separate bridge structures. About 1995, it was expanded from two lanes in each direction with no breakdown lanes to four lanes in each direction with breakdown lanes.
With two busy exits within a half mile of either end of the bridge, rush-hour backups are typical. Downtown Jacksonville and Naval Air Station Jacksonville are visible from the bridge to the north. On a clear day, the Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Palatka can be seen to the south of the bridge.
Buckman Bridge Factoids
Official name: Henry Holland Buckman Bridge
Carries: 4 general purpose lanes
Crosses: St. Johns River
Locale: Jacksonville, Florida
Maintained by: Florida Department of Transportation
ID number: 720249 southbound; 720343 northbound
Design: steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge
Longest span: 76.2 meters (250 feet)
Total length: 4968.2 meters (16300 feet)
Width: 10.7 meters (35 feet) per direction
Vertical clearance: N/A
Clearance below: 19.8 meters (65 feet)
Opening date: 1970
Buckman Bridge in the News
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I-295 Traffic
It carries I-295 traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.
Interstate 295 (Florida) at a glance
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Interstate 295 (a.k.a. I-295) is a bypass route around the west side of Jacksonville, Florida, which measures 35.511 miles (57.15 km) in length. It is an auxiliary route of Interstate 95. The highway forms a contiguous loop around central Jacksonville in conjunction with State Road 9A.
Over the St. John's River
It is approximately 3.1 miles (5 km) in length, and travels roughly east-west over the St. John's River.
St. Johns River at a glance
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ; like most Florida waterways, the St. Johns has a very slow flow rate at a third of a mile an hour (0.2 km/h), and is often described as "lazy".Whitney, p. 215. It is one of the few rivers in the United States to run north. Numerous lakes are formed by the river or flow into it, but as a river its widest point is across, spanning several miles between Palatka and Jacksonville, the latter being the largest urban area on the river. The narrowest point is in the headwaters, an unnavigable marsh in Indian River County. In all, 3.5 million people live within the various watersheds that feed into the St. Johns River.Belleville, p. xxi.
Comprising a drainage basin of , the St. Johns is one of the major interior wetlands of Florida.The St. Johns River: Nominated as an American Heritage River, Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on July 17, 2009.Whitney, p. 136. It is separated into three major basins and two associated watersheds for Lake George and the Ocklawaha River, all managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District. Like all waterways in Florida, the St. Johns is fed primarily by rainfall, most of which is immediately deposited into the river and its tributaries as stormwater runoff. Much of the water flowing into the St. Johns also comes from the Floridan Aquifer, a natural underground reservoir that serves as the fresh water source for populations living north of St. Petersburg. The St. Johns itself is being considered as a potential fresh water source for 2020 as populations continue to grow, taxing the Floridan Aquifer.
A vast variety of people have lived on or near the St. Johns, including Archaic people, Timucuan, French and Spanish settlers, Seminoles, slaves and freemen, Florida crackers, land developers, tourists, and retirees. It has been the subject of William Bartram's journals, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' books, and Harriet Beecher Stowe's letters home. Although Florida was the location of the first permanent European colony in what would become the United States, it was the last U.S. territory on the east coast to be developed, and it remained a wilderness frontier into the 20th century. When attention was turned to the state, however, much of the land was rapidly overdeveloped in a national zeal for progress. The St. Johns, like many Florida rivers, was altered to make way for agricultural and residential centers and suffered severe pollution and human interference that has diminished the natural order of life in and around the river. It was named one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998 but was included on a list of America's Ten Most Endangered Rivers in 2008.Ball, David (April 14, 2008).St. Johns River Makes ?Endangered' List, Jacksonville Financial and Daily Record. Retrieved on July 17, 2009. Restoration efforts are underway for the basins around the St. Johns as Florida continues to deal with population increases in the river's vicinity.
"IMHO: All the lightning-fast lane changes & zippy fast cars must be pilots heading to NAS Jax!"
Breaking News or Oxymoron?
I-295 Southbound Slow Over Buckman Bridge. Traffic on Interstate 295 is backed up due to a crash on I-295 southbound after Old St. Augustine Road.
Southbound traffic is backed up across the Buckman Bridge due to onlooker delay.
Police have not released any other details about the crash.
Another opportunity to cast your vote!
Some cool books on Jacksonville, FL
Use Caution When Driving ...
Because the Buckman Bridge seems prone to more accidents and backups than any other Jacksonville bridge, you need to pay CLOSE attention when driving on it. No cellphones please!
Drop me a line ...
Are you a fan of the Buckman Bridge or not? Do you have the pleasure of driving it daily? Oh, I don't envy you as I only drive it maybe once or twice every other week.
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Reply
- puzzlemaker puzzlemaker Jun 23, 2009 @ 3:12 pm
- Hi Julie, I recognize you but didn't realize you live in Jax. We lived in Jax, but are now in St. Aug. So nice to know someone local!!! We take the Buckman when we need to go to Orange Park. I usually take Roosevelt if possible instead of Blanding when we get off the bridge. Yikes to Blanding too!
I had no idea the Buckman was Squidoo-famous.
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WARNING Will Robinson -- Do NOT Do This!
Driving 120mph over the Buckman Bridge is nuts
Buckman Bridge in the News
- Feedmysearch needs your opinion, help and advice
- Dear feedmysearch user, Feedmysearch would require some serious server upgrade and a bit of development to be back online. However it seems hard to monetize and without monetisation, no future ! You ‘re welcome to express any opinion, advice, partnership proposal ! And feel free to forward it to whoever you think might have a say. [...]
The buzz on the Buckman Bridge
- Rabies Alert in Mandarin - Local News on wokv.com
- Health officials say a rabid racoon was found in the area bordered by the Buckman Bridge on the north and Flynn Road at Emperor Drive on the south. Animal Care and Control says you should make sure your pet's shots are up to date and ...
- Meet the cat rescued under Buckman Bridge | Jacksonville.com
- James Sigler heard a cat crying.But there was a problem: He was in a boat in the middle of the St. Johns River, fishing with his father, grandfather and a family friend.The Jacksonville family was having a good Saturday morning.
- Jacksonville's Mandarin under rabies alert | Jacksonville.com
- The area under focus is bounded on the north by the St. Johns River at the Buckman Bridge, on the south by Flynn Road at Emperor Drive, on the east by Waverly Dock Road at Lake Manadarin Circle West and on the west by the St. Johns ...
- Meet the cat rescued under Buckman Bridge - FIREFOXNEWS ONLINE™
- For the following story Firefoxnewsonline acknowledges Jacksonville News. For the following photo Firefoxnewsonline acknowledges mindpollution.org. Meet the cat rescued under Buckman Bridge Got a second chance at life thanks to ...
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