The Granada Bridge is a high-clearance bridge that spans the

Halifax River The Halifax River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, located in northeast Volusia County, Florida. The waterway was originally known as the North Mosquito River, but was renamed after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (for whom ...

and

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

, linking the mainland and beach peninsula parts of

Ormond Beach Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan ...

Volusia County 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 United States Census, 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an incr ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Granada Bridge carries four lanes of State Road 40 and Granada Blvd.Florida Dept. of Transportation, ''Florida Bridge Information''

The Casements The Casements is a mansion in Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S., famous for being the winter residence of American oil magnate John D. Rockefeller. It is currently owned by the city of Ormond Beach and is used as a cultural center and park. It is locat ...

, along with City Hall Plaza, Fortunato Park, and Riverbridge Park reside at the four corners of Ormond Beach's Granada Bridge, which give their collective name to the annual "Four Corners Festival" in Ormond Beach. In September 1999, the bridge was crossed by about 24,000 cars every day. By January 2007, that number increased to approximately 35,500 vehicles per day.

History

The Town of Ormond was incorporated March 22, 1880. There were few residents on the beach peninsula until 1886, when the St. Johns and Halifax Railroad reached the area. The railroad brought new visitors, which inspired John Anderson and Joseph Price to build the

Ormond Hotel The Ormond Hotel (also known as The Flagler Hotel) was a historic hotel in Ormond Beach, Florida, United States. It was located at 15 East Granada Boulevard. History Built by John Anderson and J. D. Price, the hotel opened on January 1, 1888. B ...

on the beachside. They also planned to build a bridge across the Halifax River so railroad passengers could walk to their new hotel.Centennial History of Volusia County, Florida (1854-1954) ''Volusia County Historical Commission''

First bridge

In 1887, Florida Congressman Charles Dougherty sponsored three bills, authorizing the building of bridges in

, across the Halifax River,

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 ...

, and Indian Lagoon. In that same year, La Vega, which itself was called New England Avenue in 1875, was renamed to Granada Boulevard. The towns of Ormond and Daytona competed to build the first bridge across the Halifax River. In 1887, Anderson and Price managed to finish their bridge in Ormond first. It was a simple wooden bridge, with a drawbridge device for boats to pass.

Second bridge

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a pr ...

owner

Henry M. Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

bought out the St. Johns and Halifax Railroad, and bought into the Ormond Hotel. By 1890, Flagler bought out his partners' interest in the hotel and expanded it to 300 rooms. In 1905, Flagler built a second bridge near the first as a railroad spur so his trains could carry passengers directly to the resort. Later, Flagler had the railroad bridge redesigned so wealthy visitors could drive automobiles over it to the hotel. The first wooden bridge was demolished soon afterward.

Third bridge

The converted railroad bridge stood for many years until it became too old to be serviced. A newer, two-lane concrete

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...

(drawbridge) was constructed to carry Granada Boulevard. It was opened on March 2, 1954, and named the Rockefeller Memorial Bridge for Standard Oil billionaire

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

, who had made

in Ormond his winter and retirement home until he died in 1937.

Fourth bridge

The widening of State Road 40 in the 1980s created the need for a new bridge. During the construction of Granada Bridge, a platform collapsed and caused three workers to fall more than 60 feet onto a barge, with one falling to his death. The Florida State Department of Transportation was in charge of the bridge construction, and built the present four-lane high clearance concrete and steel bridge in 1983. In May 1987, the U.S. federal government agreed to provide $8.16 million of the estimated $12 million cost of building a

Port Orange, Florida Port Orange is a city in Volusia County, Florida. The city's population was estimated at 64,842 in 2019 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The city is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area; the metropolitan area's populati ...

bridge planned to be similar to the Granada Bridge. The resulting bridge across the Halifax River, the

Port Orange Causeway The Port Orange Causeway, commonly called the ''Port Orange Bridge'' or the ''Dunlawton Bridge'', spans the Halifax River and Intracoastal Waterway in Port Orange, Volusia County, Florida. The bridge carries approximately 29,000 vehicles per day a ...

across the Halifax River, was completed in 1990. In July 1997, a kitten named Lucky fell from a truck on the Granada Bridge and, after scrambling to safety from other moving cars, fell from the bridge. Lucky suffered a broken leg and acute kidney failure in the fall, and was rescued from a barnacle-covered piling by the U.S. Department of Transportation. His owners considered putting him down after learning of his bad shape and the expense of a kidney transplant. When Lucky's story was released to the public, donations poured in to help pay for the transplant. The survival of Lucky, whose name was changed to Timmy following the accident, was called "miraculous" by his attending veterinarian. Bicycle lanes are marked in the shoulder of the span and two pedestrian walkways at the far ends. The bridge is part of the ''Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail'', a Florida Scenic Highway, designated on July 9, 2007.Florida Dept. of Transportation: ''Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail''

Gallery

Image:GB(OB)-0946.JPG, Under the bridge Image:NPSP-0247.JPG, Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail Image:HR_OB_Birds-0944.JPG, Double Crested Cormorant Image:HR_OB_Birds-0951.JPG, Brown Pelican

References

External links

Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail

Save the Loop
{{Bridges of Florida Bridges in Volusia County, Florida Bridges completed in 1983 Bridges completed in 1954 Road bridges in Florida Bridges over the Halifax River Ormond Beach, Florida 1887 establishments in Florida Steel bridges in the United States Concrete bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States