The Astor Bridge is a single-leaf bascule bridge located in

Astor, Florida Astor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Florida, United States, located on the west side of the St. Johns River between Lake George and Lake Dexter. The community straddles State Road 40, with the ...

that carries State Road 40 over the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

into

Volusia Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 2 ...

. The first bridge on the site was built in 1926; the current bridge dates from 1980.

History

The original Astor Bridge, a wooden structure, was constructed across the St. Johns River in 1926; it replaced a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

that crossed the river at Astor. A steel swing section was later constructed, replacing the original wooden structure. The current Astor Bridge was built in 1980, after the previous bridge was deemed dangerous and restricted to vehicles under . Residents favored a high-level bridge further south, but a drawbridge located adjacent to the existing bridge was considered the best option from cost and environmental standpoints. The new bridge was constructed by the Houdallie-Duval-Wright Co. of Jacksonville, which had bid $4,060,575 for the project. It opened in October 1980. Following its construction, the previous bridge's

bridge tender's house A bridge tender's house is a structure near or upon a moveable bridge from which a bridge tender A bridge tender operates and maintains a bridge to ensure the safe passage of water traffic and vehicle traffic on the bridge. For a railroad brid ...

was moved to the Blackwater Inn adjacent to the bridge, then to the Pioneer Settlement for Creative Arts in Barberville for preservation and display. After the construction of the current bridge a naming dispute arose between the towns of Astor and

, which was not resolved until 1989 when the bridge was officially named the Astor Bridge. The bridge's decking was replaced in the early 1990s, and then again in a $788,000 project during 2012. There are five

bridge tender A bridge tender operates and maintains a bridge to ensure the safe passage of water traffic and vehicle traffic on the bridge. For a railroad bridge, the bridge tender is also responsible for rail traffic safety. Moveable bridges typically have ...

s who operate the bridge to allow river traffic to pass. It carries approximately 7,000 vehicles per day.

Accidents

During the 1970s the bridge was considered by the

Florida Department of Transportation The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of t ...

to be "one of the most hazardous road sections in Florida". The Astor Bridge was struck by a barge on March 23, 1995. A safety net was tested on the bridge in 1995, to catch any vehicles that overran the bridge when it was open; the test was successfully completed.

References

External links

Crossing the bridge
{{Bridges of Florida Bridges over the St. Johns River Bridges completed in 1980 Road bridges in Florida Bridges in Volusia County, Florida 1980 establishments in Florida Bascule bridges in the United States