It's a lift bridge that originally opened in July 1941 at a cost of $1.5 million to carry traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.
If you drive into downtown Jacksonville from the southside, you'll most likely cross over the Main Street Bridge. What's interesting is that I don't recall ever being stopped for this lift bridge when traveling into downtown; only when traveling out of downtown. Well, it is quite impressive to see the bridge in operation.
It is made of eleven steel stringer spans and three Warren through trusses. The 365-foot long continuous truss vertical lift span at the center is the longest in Florida. The span-drive system, which puts the drive machinery on the moveable span, utilizes concrete counterweights enclosed within two large 200-foot high steel frame lift towers.
Traffic count average daily: 21,400
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Named after Mayor John T. Alsop ???
In 1957 it was named after Mayor John T. Alsop, Jr., but continues to be known, even on road signs, as the Main Street Bridge.
Main Street Bridge at a glance
For other Bridges with similar names, see Main Street Bridge.
The Main Street Bridge is a bridge crossing the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the second bridge built across the river. It carries four lanes of traffic, and is signed as U.S. Route 1/US 90 (SR 5/SR 10). The lift bridge opened in July 1941 at a cost of $1.5 million. In 1957 it was named after Mayor John T. Alsop, Jr., but continues to be known, even on road signs, as the Main Street Bridge.
History of the Main Street Bridge
The massive Main Street Bridge has become a landmark in downtown Jacksonville and was heralded as a major accomplishment when built at the end of the 1930s to carry US 1 over the St. Johns River.
Made of eleven steel stringer spans and three Warren through trusses, the 365-foot long continuous truss vertical lift span at the center is the longest in Florida. The span-drive system, which puts the drive machinery on the movable span, utilizes concrete counterweights enclosed within two large steel frame towers.
Although builders emphasized functional considerations, the bridge produces an aesthetic effect through its strength, 200-foot high lift towers, and commanding reach across the St. Johns River measuring 1,680 feet in length.
Designing and building the bridge involved several engineering and contracting organizations. Plans came from a team composed of the Bridge Engineering Division of the State Road Department and the consulting firm of Harrington and Cortelyou, engineers in Kansas City, Missouri. Engineer John F. Reynolds of Jacksonville consulted on the project and state bridge engineer E. S. Frazier supervised construction. --www.bridgepros.com.
"The lighting on the Main Street Bridge at night is beautiful!"
Main Street Bridge at night
Main Street Bridge Factoids
Official name: T. Alsop Jr. Bridge
Carries: four general purpose lanes and two sidewalks
Crosses: St. Johns River
Locale: Jacksonville, Florida
Maintained by: Florida Department of Transportation
ID number: 720022
Design: steel lift bridge
Longest span: 111.3 meters (365 feet)
Total length: 512.1 meters (1680 feet)
Width: 17.6 meters (58 feet)
Vertical clearance: 4.87 meters (16.0 feet)
Clearance below: 11 meters (35 feet) closed; 41.1 meters (135 feet) open
Opening date: July 1941
Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville Florida Framed Photograph
Great American Picture
Main Street Bridge Fireworks
Jacksonville 2007 Boat Parade Fireworks
Fireworks coming from the Main Street Bridge and the Acosta Bridge in downtown Jacksonville, Florida
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Main Street Bridge and Downtown Skyline
Jacksonville Skyline Photograph ...
That beautiful picture of the Main Street Bridge is from
Park Place Photographs
by Kristian Llave.
Isn't it beautiful?
Lift Bridge over the St. Johns River
It was the second road bridge built across the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida (the first was the Acosta Bridge).
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.
Some cool books on Jacksonville you might like
Historic Photos of Jacksonville
Amazon Price: $32.54 (as of 07/12/2009) 
Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage (Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Comm)
Amazon Price: $37.96 (as of 07/12/2009)
Jacksonville Revisited (FL) (Postcard History Series)
Amazon Price: $15.59 (as of 07/12/2009)
Jumping off the Main Street Bridge?
Jumping off the mainstreet bridge in Jacksonville
Mainstreet Bridge near Jacksonville Landing July 9, 2006
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The buzz on the Main Street Bridge
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Other bridges in Jacksonville, Florida
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Mathews Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 66,500
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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 Su...
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Fuller Warren Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 139,000
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Thank goodness for segmental bridges like the new Fuller Warren Bridge. The old bridge, built in 1954, was "antique-like" for the amount of traffic that Jacksonville, Florida boasts. You see the old bridge was a bascule which basically means a moveab...
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Acosta Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 32,000
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The Acosta Bridge is definitely of one of my favorite bridges in Jacksonville, Florida. It's a fixed span, which is great as you don't need to wait while it's raised and lowered for boat traffic below. It's also very clean and relatively short. But,...
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Hart Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 47,000
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The Hart Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida is the major bridge we travel when crossing the St. Johns River for Jacksonville Jaguars games. It drops us at the stadium a short distance from our tailgating parking lot. Other traffic usually arrives into d...
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Buckman Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 119,000
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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 woul...
The most attractive bridge in Jacksonville
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Dames Point Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 30,000
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Of all the bridges in Jacksonville, Florida, the Dames Point Bridge is by far the most attractive. It spans two miles and was completed in 1989. When I worked for a terpene chemicals company on the northside, I traveled on this bridge twice daily for...
One of 'seven bridges' in Jacksonville
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Seven Bridges -- Which city claims this title?
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Figured out which city is home to "seven bridges?" This city is also home to a major river waterway, the St. Johns River and the NFL team the Jaguars. Well, by now you've probably figured out that it's Jacksonville, Florida that I'm talking about! No...
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Are you a fan of the Main Street Bridge? Love the night lighting? Seen the fireworks from the bridge? I'd love to hear from you.
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