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
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
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
I-295 Traffic
It carries I-295 traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.
Interstate 295 (Florida) at a glance
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 (officially Saint Johns River, but commonly spelled 'St. Johns River') is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida, stretching 310 miles (500 km) from Indian River County to the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville in Duval County. The Saint Johns is north-flowing, which is somewhat unusual among U.S. rivers
The elevation change from headwaters to mouth is only about 30 feet, making the St. Johns one of the worlds "laziest" rivers. Extremely low velocity and low volume of flow, combined with the generally level elevation, cause the St. Johns to spread out to a great width for much of its course. During periods of low flow, the river can be influenced by tides as far south as Lake Monroe - 161 miles inland. For a distance of over twenty miles before arriving at downtown Jacksonville, the river's average width exceeds two miles and some points exceed three miles in width. The slow flow of the St. Johns makes it difficult for pollutants to be flushed from the waters, which has become a serious problem for the river ecosystem. It was designated as one of the American Heritage Rivers in 1997 and pegged by an environmental organization as the 6th Most Endangered River in America in 2008.http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-17-01.asp Still, the river is home to numerous species of plants and animals. It is not uncommon to see dolphins in the river east of Jacksonville and manatees in the springtime when the water warms up. Alligators, bald eagles, ospreys, stingrays, and many species of fish?both salt and fresh water?are found living in the river and on its banks. The entire basin is managed by the St. Johns Water Management District.
"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
Insiders' Guide to Jacksonville, 2nd (Insiders' Guide Series)
Amazon Price: $17.95 (as of 07/10/2009) 
Historic Photos of Jacksonville
Amazon Price: $32.54 (as of 07/10/2009)
Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage (Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Comm)
Amazon Price: $37.96 (as of 07/10/2009)
American Map Jacksonville, Florida Street Atlas
Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 07/10/2009)
Bogeys and Bandits: The Making of a Fighter Pilot
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Running the Buckman Bridge I
Running the Buckman Bridge
This is a 1974 Chrysler Conqueror running the Buckman Bridge I-295 in the St. Johns River Jacksonville Florida at 55 MPH.
Runtime: 1:44
1563 views
1 Comments:
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!
Running the Buckman Bridge II
Running the Buckman Bridge Take Two
A 1974 Chrysler Conqueror Speed Boat running 55 MPH along the Buckman Bridge I-295 in the St. Johns River 28 September 2007 Jacksonville Florida
Runtime: 3:08
1883 views
1 Comments:
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.
puzzlemaker wrote...
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.
Posted June 23, 2009
SusanVillasLewis wrote...
Congrats on taking the bridges category this week at the Carnival of Squid! You beat out a lot of lenses. - http://carnivalofsquid.blogspot.com
Posted May 30, 2009
WARNING Will Robinson -- Do NOT Do This!
Driving 120mph over the Buckman Bridge is nuts
ClayTech: 120MPH over the Buckman Bridge
Footage from a mystery drive: Ray captures the ClayTech Impreza driving 120 MPH over the Buckman bridge.
Runtime: 0:16
456 views
4 Comments:
The buzz on the Buckman Bridge
- [Video] Impressive Massive Waterspout Develops Near Bridge During ...
- Take a look at two separate clips of what rush hour drivers in Jacksonville had to witness as they crossed the Buckman Bridge. A huge waterspout formed and lingered for over 15 minutes as drivers and folks in their back yards watched. ...
- Video of Waterspout from Buckman Bridge Jacksonville, FL
- WARNING: There is audible profanity at the beginning of the clip. This is a user video sent into CNN for their iReport segment.
- Teenage Passenger in SUV Killed in Accident on Buckman Bridge in ...
- An SUV was driving on the Buckman Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida last week when the driver hit a tow truck that had stopped for slowing traffic, according to an article on Firstcoastnews.com. The 16 year old passenger in the SUV was ...
- Pot Committed: Life as a Poker Rounder: The Other Side of the River
- I turn left and start over the Buckman Bridge. The St John's river is very wide right here, and therefore is quite shallow. I'm assuming that is the reason for placing a 3 mile long bridge at this point in the river. ...
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