The Venetian Causeway crosses

Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...

between

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

on the mainland and

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

on a

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...

in the

Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area (also known as Greater Miami, the Tri-County Area, South Florida, or the Gold Coast) is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world with a ...

. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

portions of the

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

were created by materials which came from the dredging of the bay. The Venetian Causeway follows the original route of the

Collins Bridge The Collins Bridge was a bridge that crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. It was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins (1837–1928) wi ...

, a wooden long structure built in 1913 by

John S. Collins John Stiles Collins (December 29, 1837 – February 11, 1928) was an American Quaker farmer from Moorestown Township, New Jersey who moved to South Florida at the turn of the 20th century. He attempted to grow vegetables and coconuts on the swam ...

and

Carl G. Fisher Carl Graham Fisher (January 12, 1874 – July 15, 1939) was an American entrepreneur. He was an important figure in the automotive industry, in highway construction, and in real estate development. In his early life in Indiana, despite fa ...

which opened up the barrier island for unprecedented growth and development. The causeway has one toll plaza (administered by the Miami-Dade County Public Works department) on

Biscayne Island The Venetian Islands are a chain of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. The islands are, from west to east: Biscayne Island (Miami), San Marco Island (Miami), San Marino Island (Miami Beach), D ...

, the westernmost Venetian Island. The toll for an automobile is $3.00 (US). The causeway has two

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 ...

s. At the Downtown/Western Beginning of the causeway travelers are greeted by two columns vertically saying "VENETIAN WAY" along with a sign indicating that there is a weight limit . At the South Beach/Eastern Terminus, drivers must choose whether to go north onto Dade Boulevard or eastbound onto 17th Street to Ocean Drive, Collins Ave/A1A, Lincoln Road, City Hall, The Convention Center, Jackie Gleason Theater and the beach . The Venetian Causeway was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It was re-dedicated in 1999 after the completion of a $29 million restoration and replacement project.The City of Miami Beac
Community Bridges The Past With The New Millennium
, October 28, 1999 A popular use of the causeway is for exercising, including both jogging and bicycling.

Gallery

Image:Venetian Causeway South Beach.jpg, View of the Venetian Causeway and islands with South Beach in the background, as seen from the 1800 Club in

Downtown Miami Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Park West. It ...

File:Venetian Causeway west drawbridge viewed from MacArthur Causeway (2014).jpg, The westernmost of the two drawbridges on the causeway, with its draw span opened for a boat File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 06.jpg, View from water level towards Miami Beach File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 05.jpg, View towards Miami Beach File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 09.jpg, The Venetian Causeway viewed from former site of The Miami Herald File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 01.jpg, Entrance to Venetian Causeway from Miami side File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 02.jpg, Column with Sign File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 10.jpg, Bridge detail, lamps and railing File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 03.jpg, Entrance to Venetian Causeway with Columns view towards southeast

References

External links

New York Times Article (March 21, 2008): ''Islands of Calm ''
{{Crossings navbox , structure= Crossings , place=

, bridge= Venetian Causeway , bridge signs= , upstream text= North , upstream= Julia Tuttle Causeway , upstream signs= , downstream text= South , downstream=

MacArthur Causeway The General Douglas MacArthur Causeway is a six-lane causeway that connects Downtown Miami to South Beach via Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade County. The highway is the singular roadway connecting the mainland and beaches to Watson Island and the ...

, downstream signs= Toll bridges in Florida Roads in Miami Roads in Miami Beach, Florida Roads in Miami-Dade County, Florida Causeways in Miami-Dade County, Florida Intracoastal Waterway Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Miami-Dade County, Florida Bridges completed in 1913 Drawbridges on the National Register of Historic Places 1913 establishments in Florida Concrete bridges in the United States Bascule bridges in the United States

See also

Gallery

References

External links