The Mathews Bridge is a

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

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 ...

, which spans 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 ...

. Constructed in 1953, the bridge brings traffic along the

Arlington Expressway The Arlington Expressway, which carries the unsigned State Road 10A (SR 10A) and mostly also the signed State Road 115 in Jacksonville, Florida, is a freeway that heads east from Downtown Jacksonville over the Mathews Bridge to Atlantic Bouleva ...

between downtown Jacksonville and the Arlington neighborhood. It was named after John E. Mathews, a Florida state legislator and Chief Justice of the 1955 Florida Supreme Court who helped gather funding for the bridge's construction. Originally silver in color, the bridge was painted maroon in 1984 in celebration of Jacksonville's

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

franchise, the

Jacksonville Bulls The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League (USFL) during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985. They played their home games in the Gator ...

History

Discussion on building a bridge to Arlington and the beaches began in the early 20th century when cars became more popular. In 1938 Duval County Commission discontinued ferry service to help encourage support for a new bridge. At this time, only the

Acosta Bridge The St. Elmo W. Acosta Bridge spans the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida on a fixed span. It is named for City Councilman St. Elmo W. Acosta, who convinced voters to approve a $950,000 bond issue for the original bridge at the site. ...

and Main Street Bridge crossed the St. Johns River for vehicle use. Another reason for a new bridge was congestion on the two bridges. John E. Mathews, a state legislator and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, helped secure funding for a new bridge. The cost of constructing a bridge was $11 million to be backed by bonds and toll revenues. Tolls remained for the Mathews Bridge until 1989. The John E. Mathews Bridge opened on April 15, 1953. The bridge had a notoriously problematic grating in the center span. After the previous grating wore out, a new one was installed, causing drivers to complain that the replacement was slippery and difficult to cross. That grating was replaced with a new, "state of the art" grating, which also provoked controversy causing citizens to pressure the

Jacksonville City Council The Jacksonville City Council is the legislative governing body of the city of Jacksonville, Florida. The council meets in its chambers at Jacksonville City Hall, 117 W. Duval St. Under Florida’s government transparency laws, all official co ...

to act again concerning the grating. This initially only resulted in reducing the speed limit and roughing up the grating. In 2007, the bridge underwent a $12.9 million deck replacement project to replace the open grating over the center span with a concrete riding surface, and has since been reopened for public use. In the early afternoon on September 26, 2013, the Military Sealift Command ship collided with the center span of the Mathews Bridge. The damage caused to the bridge was sufficient that it was closed indefinitely until it could be inspected and repaired. Following repairs, the Mathews Bridge reopened in the early morning of October 29, 2013. Part of the reason of the accident was because the charted height of the bridge was incorrect. The bridge owners (Florida Department of Transportation) notified the Coast Guard that the bridge was surveyed and the new height was . This new measurement is lower than the previously published height. No notification of the vessel's height has been published by the Navy, but local news articles report that FDOT has evidence that the vessel's height was also taller than its plans indicated.http://www.news4jax.com/blob/view/-/26076956/data/3/-/15btmrrz/-/FDOT-responds.pdf

Gallery

image:Mathews Bridge from the Saint Johns River.jpg, Mathews Bridge from the St. Johns River. image:Eastbound Mathews Bridge truss.jpg, Eastbound on the Mathews Bridge image:Below mathews bridge.jpg, A shot looking below the Mathews Bridge image:Matthews Bridge, Jacksonville FL Pano 690.jpg, Picture of the Mathews Bridge from across the water. image:The Mathews Bridge1.jpg,

TIAA Bank Field TIAA Bank Field is an American football stadium located in Jacksonville, Florida, that primarily serves as the home facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) and the headquarters of the professional wrestling prom ...

with the Mathews Bridge in the foreground.

In popular culture

* The Mathews Bridge is referenced in "

My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...

" by Limp Bizkit, who started out in Jacksonville.

References

External links

Local news articles on the Mathews Bridge
{{Jacksonville attractions Bridges completed in 1953 Bridges in Jacksonville, Florida Road bridges in Florida Bridges over the St. Johns River Former toll bridges in Florida Arlington, Jacksonville U.S. Route 90 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System 1953 establishments in Florida Steel bridges in the United States Cantilever bridges in the United States Cantilever bridges

History

Gallery

In popular culture

See also

References

External links