Buckman Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 119,000
This is a 3.1 mile bridge carrying I-295 traffic over the St. John's River in Jacksonville, Florida!
When I first moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 1992, someone warned me about driving on the Buckman Bridge. "You don't want to get stuck in rush hour traffic on the Buckman!" That warning did make an impression on me because for several years, I would NOT even consider a job where I had to cross that bridge. Well, as things would have it, an opportunity arose for a marketing manager position with a FujiFilm company in Orange Park. Hmmm, that meant tackling the Buckman Bridge twice daily. I t...

Fuller Warren Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 139,000
Completed in 2002, it's a segmental bridge that carries traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonv
Thank goodness for segmental bridges like the new Fuller Warren Bridge. The old bridge, built in 1954, was "antique-like" for the amount of traffic that Jacksonville, Florida boasts. You see the old bridge was a bascule which basically means a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic. If you've never experienced a bascule, it means that the traffic has to STOP to wait while the bridge i...

Main Street Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 21,400
It's a lift bridge that originally opened in July 1941 at a cost of $1.5 million to carry traffic ov
If you drive into downtown Jacksonville from the southside, you'll most likely cross over the Main Street Bridge. What's interesting is that I don't recall ever being stopped for this lift bridge when traveling into downtown; only when traveling out of downtown. Well, it is quite impressive to see the bridge in operation. It is made of eleven steel stringer spans and three Warren through trusses. The 365-foot long continuous truss vertical lift span at the center is the longest in Florida. T...

Acosta Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 32,000
It's a fixed span bridge carrying traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Acosta Bridge is definitely of one of my favorite bridges in Jacksonville, Florida. It's a fixed span, which is great as you don't need to wait while it's raised and lowered for boat traffic below. It's also very clean and relatively short. But, the reason I like it so much is that it is "adorned" with the most fabulous night-lighting with those bluish-purple neon lights.

Hart Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 47,000
Officially named the Isaiah David Hart Bridge, after the found of Jacksonville, Florida; it's a cant
The Hart Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida is the major bridge we travel when crossing the St. Johns River for Jacksonville Jaguars games. It drops us at the stadium a short distance from our tailgating parking lot. Other traffic usually arrives into downtown for the game via either the Mathews Bridge or the Main Street Bridge. What many people may not know is that the Hart Bridge was named after Isaiah David Hart, was a Georgia plantation owner, who is credited with being the founder of Jacks...

Mathews Bridge -- Traffic count average daily: 66,500
It's a steel through truss bridge that crosses the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida spans the St. Johns River, bringing traffic along Arlington Expressway between Arlington and Downtown. 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. It's had a bit of controvery in the problematic steel grating that's been responsible for a number of accidents. A $12.9 million project recently replaced the exodermic grating ...