The Edison Bridge is the name given to a set of two one-way bridges located in
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...
. Named after inventor
Thomas Alva Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invention ...
, the two bridges carry each direction of
U.S. Highway 41 Business (US 41 Bus.) over the
Caloosahatchee River
The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 It dr ...
, connecting downtown Fort Myers (on the southern shore) with
North Fort Myers
North Fort Myers is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 42,719 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ge ...
.
The two bridges each have three lanes and are tall. They land at the same point on the north side of the river but are separated by a few blocks on the south side since US 41 Bus. runs on two separate one-way streets in Downtown Fort Myers. When looking on a map, the two spans and the south bank of the river form a right triangle. The two bridges were built in the early 1990s, replacing a single two-lane drawbridge which also bore the name Edison Bridge. The original bridge, which was located on the site of the southbound span, was once part of the
Tamiami Trail
The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90).
The northâ ...
.
History
The original Edison Bridge opened for traffic on February 11, 1931, the 84th birthday of its namesake Thomas Edison. Edison, who had a winter home in Fort Myers, dedicated the bridge, and was also the first to drive across it.
The original Edison Bridge was built to carry the Tamiami Trail, which had previously crossed the river on a narrow wooden bridge upstream that opened on March 12, 1924. This bridge was located in East Fort Myers at Freemont Street and connected to what is today known as Old Bridge Road in North Fort Myers. Construction of the bridge at Freemont Street was initially started by a private company with the intention of making it a toll bridge. Lee County planned to initially use the bridge at Freemont Street for its portion of the planned Tamiami Trail, but the federal government would not designate it as part of a U.S. Highway if the bridge had a toll. So, the county purchased the bridge and completed its construction.
The bridge at Freemont Street was only intended to be a temporary crossing of the Caloosahatchee River for the Tamiami Trail. It was too far east of downtown Fort Myers and was too narrow, making passing difficult. A couple of locations were determined as potential sites for a permanent bridge, including Carson Street west of downtown (which would later become the location of the
Caloosahatchee Bridge
The Caloosahatchee Bridge is a bridge located in Fort Myers, Florida. It carries U.S. Highway 41 (US 41, locally known as Cleveland Avenue) over the Caloosahatchee River, which is where its name comes from. The bridge has four lanes ...
). But it was ultimately decided that a new bridge, which would become the Edison Bridge, would connect Fowler Street (east of downtown) with a rerouted portion of the Tamiami Trail (
US 41) on the north side. After the Edison Bridge opened, the bridge at Freemont Street remained in service as a secondary bridge until 1940, when the wooden structure was destroyed by a fire.
The original Edison Bridge carried US 41 from its opening in 1931 up until 1964, when the
Caloosahatchee Bridge
The Caloosahatchee Bridge is a bridge located in Fort Myers, Florida. It carries U.S. Highway 41 (US 41, locally known as Cleveland Avenue) over the Caloosahatchee River, which is where its name comes from. The bridge has four lanes ...
, a new four-lane high-level fixed bridge, opened just downstream on the other side of downtown. US 41 was rerouted onto the new structure, bypassing downtown Fort Myers. The route over the Edison Bridge was redesignated as
US 41 Bus., but is still considered part of the Tamiami Trail.
The original Edison Bridge was replaced with the current dual high-level bridge spans in the early 1990s. The northbound span opened in 1992, and the southbound span opened in 1993. The current bridges are tall, which eliminated the need for a drawbridge, and carry a combined six lanes across the river. The alignment of the two spans is similar to that of the
Barron Collier Bridge and the
Gilchrist Bridge, which carry US 41 over the
Peace River
The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...
just to the north in
Punta Gorda.
Gallery
File:Fort Myers FL US 41 Edison Bridge west01.jpg, The southbound span
File:Fort Myers FL US 41 Edison Bridge east01.jpg, The northbound span
File:Edison Bridge Fort Myers at Sunset.JPG, The bridges at sunset as seen from the Riverside Park pier
See also
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List of crossings of the Caloosahatchee River
The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 It dr ...
References
External links
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{{Crossings navbox
, structure= Crossings
, place=
Caloosahatchee River
The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 It dr ...
, bridge= Edison Bridge
, bridge signs=
, upstream=
Seminole Gulf Railway
The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort Myers Division, whic ...
Bridge
, upstream signs=
, downstream=
Caloosahatchee Bridge
The Caloosahatchee Bridge is a bridge located in Fort Myers, Florida. It carries U.S. Highway 41 (US 41, locally known as Cleveland Avenue) over the Caloosahatchee River, which is where its name comes from. The bridge has four lanes ...
, downstream signs=
Road bridges in Florida
Bridges over the Caloosahatchee River
Transportation in Fort Myers, Florida
Buildings and structures in Fort Myers, Florida
U.S. Route 41
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
Bridges completed in 1993
Bridges completed in 1931
1931 establishments in Florida
1993 establishments in Florida
Concrete bridges in the United States
Bridges in Lee County, Florida