The Main Street Bridge, officially the John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge, is a

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 ...

crossing 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 ...

Jacksonville, Florida 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 ...

. It was the second bridge built across the river. It carries four lanes of traffic, and is signed as US 1/ US 90 ( SR 5/ SR 10). A

lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and sw ...

, it opened in July 1941 at a cost of $1.5 million. In 1957 it was named after Mayor John T. Alsop Jr., but continues to be known, even on road signs, as the Main Street Bridge. It remains one of the most recognizable features of the

Downtown Jacksonville Downtown Jacksonville is the historic core and central business district (CBD) of Jacksonville, Florida USA. It comprises the earliest area of the city to be developed and is located in its geographic center along the narrowing point of the St. ...

skyline.

History

Construction of the Main Street Bridge began in 1938 at a cost of $1.5 million by the Mount Vernon Bridge Company. It was a

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

permitted in 1936 prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The Main Street Bridge took three years to be built and had a dedication ceremony on July 17, 1941. The bridge was built as a vertical lift bridge with use of trusses in order to lift up to accommodate ships passing underneath it. The official name of the bridge, John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge, was dedicated in 1957 to former mayor of Jacksonville John T. Alsop. The bridge carries traffic to and from

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Saint Mark's Square, that was never admin ...

, Southbank,

and Interstate 95. In 2014 the Main Street Bridge underwent an $11 million renovation to upgrade metal barriers and patch sidewalks. With other nearby bridges having been rebuilt as fixed spans by around the end of the 20th century, the Main Street Bride is now the only remaining

moveable bridge A moveable bridge, or movable bridge, is a bridge that moves to allow passage for boats or barges. In American English, the term is synonymous with , and the latter is the common term, but drawbridge can be limited to the narrower, historical d ...

carrying automobile traffic across the St. Johns river in the Jacksonville area. Of the eight vehicle crossings in the region, four ( Shands,

Fuller Warren Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of Florida. Early life and education Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesvil ...

, Acosta and Main St.) had included movable spans when they initially opened.

Gallery

Image:Jacksonville downtown bridges.jpg, A 1992 map of the Main Street Bridge (the east one) File:Main Street Bridge Jacksonville southbound approach.jpg, Looking south from downtown along Main Street towards the Main Street Bridge Image:Main Street Bridge Jacksonville southbound truss.jpg, Looking south through the truss of the Main Street Bridge File:Jacksonville Main Street Bridge with lift span raised (2015).jpg, With lift span raised Image:St. Johns River Jacksonville Night.jpg, Illuminated at night: View from Hyatt Regency Hotel, with 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. ...

visible in the background File:John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge, Jacksonville FL, South view 20160706 1.jpg, Sidewalk view from the south The bridge opens at half past the hour.

References

External links

* {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Main Street Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

, upstream signs = , downstream =

Hart Bridge The Isaiah David Hart Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It carries U.S. Route 1 Alternate (US 1 Alt.) and State Road 228 (SR 228). It is named after Isaiah Hart, the founder ...

, downstream signs =
Bridges in Jacksonville, Florida Bridges over the St. Johns River Downtown Jacksonville Vertical lift bridges in the United States Truss bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1941 Road bridges in Florida Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 90 Architecture in Jacksonville, Florida Towers in Florida 1941 establishments in Florida Steel bridges in the United States