The Coral Springs Covered Bridge is a 40 ft

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

located in

Coral Springs, Florida Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 134,394. It is a ...

and was the first permanent structure built in the city. The only publicly accessible covered bridge in Florida, it has also been honored with a Florida Heritage Site Marker.

Structure and design

It was designed by George Hodapp and constructed in early 1964 by Lewie Mullins, and George Porter, all employees of Coral Ridge Properties, Inc. The 40-foot bridge has a single steel span that crosses N.W. 95th Avenue just south of Wiles Road. Its roof is composed of 25 truss rafters, cross braces and stringers and is covered with shingles. Originally painted barn red, James S. Hunt, president of Coral Ridge Properties, wanted to convey a sense of the

Old South Geographically, the U.S. states known as the Old South are those in the Southern United States that were among the original Thirteen Colonies. The region term is differentiated from the Deep South and Upper South. From a cultural and social ...

on the otherwise barren landscape. Hunt's vision for Coral Springs was of a totally planned "City in the Country" with brick colonial-style public buildings, boulevards planted with flowers and the Covered Bridge as its centerpiece.

History

James S. Hunt contacted the American Snuff Company in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

, for

chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower gum to draw out its flavor. Some users chew it, others do not. It consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; ...

designs to make the bridge appear more "seasoned". The company supplied two designs plus an artist to paint the murals. The Bull of the Woods logo on the east side of the bridge was first used in 1876. The Peach Snuff logo on the west side was created in 1950 to appeal to a broader female audience. When the eye wall of

Hurricane Cleo Hurricane Cleo was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1964 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the third named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season. Cleo was one of the longest-lived storms of the season. This compa ...

passed over Coral Springs in August 1964, the bridge was left relatively undamaged. In October 2005,

Hurricane Wilma Hurricane Wilma was an extremely intense and destructive Atlantic hurricane which was the most intense storm of its kind and the second-most intense tropical cyclone recorded in the Western Hemisphere, after Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Part o ...

passed over the city, and again the structure sustained little damage. Over the years, the bridge and murals have been restored but are visibly abstruse as trees, (that were planted since after the opening) have grown along the sides of the road and canal. The bridge has the distinction of a Florida Heritage Site Marker in recognition of its architecture and historical significance to the state. The Covered Bridge is depicted in Coral Springs' previous city seal; it is the only covered bridge located on a public

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

in the state of Florida.

References

{{Bridges of Florida Covered bridges in Florida Bridges completed in 1964 Buildings and structures in Coral Springs, Florida Tourist attractions in Broward County, Florida Transportation buildings and structures in Broward County, Florida Road bridges in Florida Landmarks in Florida 1964 establishments in Florida Wooden bridges in Florida