The Broadway Bridge is a

segmental bridge A segmental bridge is a bridge built in short sections (called segments), i.e., one piece at a time, as opposed to traditional methods that build a bridge in very large sections. The bridge is made of concrete that is either cast-in-place (constru ...

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 who ...

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 t ...

in downtown

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

, carrying U.S. Route 92. The Broadway Bridge reaches a height of 65 feet (19.9 m) and is 3,008 feet (917 m) in length. The bridge is more famous for its flair than its purpose. Mosaics of

manatee Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living speci ...

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the b ...

s and other

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...

native to

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 ...

give the bridge some tourist appeal. The bridge was dedicated on July 20, 2001.

History

First bridge

Plans for the original Broadway Bridge were approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on May 4, 1912. Michael Sholtz (father of future Governor

David Sholtz David Sholtz (October 6, 1891 – March 21, 1953) was the 26th Governor of Florida. Prior to serving as Governor he would be a state attorney serving Florida's 7th Judicial Circuit Court and previously as a member of the Florida House of Repres ...

), President of Central of Florida Railway Company, petitioned the Corps for the new bridge which he planned to use for his company's electric

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

system, that would connect the cities of Daytona, Daytona Beach, and

Seabreeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes a ...

(separate cities at the time, before consolidating in 1926) across the Halifax River. The bridge was simply referred to as ''the concrete bridge'' for many years, until it started to be called the Broadway Bridge. It likely picked up the name because it connected to Broadway Avenue (now named International Speedway Blvd.) on the beach side.

Second bridge

By 1947, the Broadway Bridge was carrying traffic for a spur of State Road A1A and State Road 600. The State Road Department determined a new four-lane

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of movea ...

was needed to replace the old structure. Tidewater Construction Corporation of

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

, was awarded the contract to construct the bridge, and started work on February 6, 1947. The overall length was 1777 feet with a channel span of 104 feet, allowing 90-foot clearance with the double-leaf bascule (drawbridge) open.Florida Highways, By Florida State Road Dept, Florida Highway Patrol, Published by J.E.Robinson, 1948 The second Broadway Bridge over the Halifax River was officially opened on November 8, 1948, and dedicated in honor of Robert T. Carleton, Road Department member of the Fifth District, and Elmer Blank, Volusia County Commissioner. Although the name "Carleton-Blank Bridge" appeared on state maps, the local community continued to refer to the structure as the Broadway Bridge.Fifth International Bridge Engineering Conference: Tampa, Florida April 3–5 - Pg. 31 by National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board - Bridges - 2000 BroadwayBridgeEast1954 (cropped) dot1872

BroadwayBridgeEast1954 (cropped) dot1872

Third Bridge

The State Road Department reported that the 1948 lift bridge occurred several problems, and it could be better to build a bigger bridge. Construction on the new bridge started on March 4, 2000. The new bridge opened on July 20, 2001. The original bridge has since been demolished.

References

External links