Bridge of Lions
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| Bridge of Lions | |
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| Official name | Bridge of Lions |
| Carries | 2 general purpose lanes and 2 sidewalks |
| Crosses | Matanzas River (Intracoastal Waterway) |
| Locale | St. Augustine, Florida |
| Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 780074 |
| Design | steel bascule bridge |
| Total length | 470.9 meters (1545 feet) |
| Width | 10.3 meters (34 feet) |
| Longest span | 26.5 meters (87 feet) |
| Vertical clearance | N/A |
| Clearance below | 7.6 meters (25 feet) closed |
| Opened | February 26, 1927 |
| Coordinates | 29°53′35″N 81°18′29″W / 29.893°N -81.308°ECoordinates: 29°53′35″N 81°18′29″W / 29.893°N -81.308°E |
The Bridge of Lions is a bascule bridge that spans the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Augustine, Florida. A part of State Road A1A, it connects downtown St. Augustine to Anastasia Island. Lions made of marble used to guard the bridge, begun in 1925 and completed in 1927 across Matanzas Bay. The lions were removed in February 2005, and are expected to return about five years from that date.
The Department of Transportation declared the bridge "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete" in 1999, prompting heated debates on what to do with the structure. A restoration plan was approved, but opponents continued to voice their opposition.
[edit] Original bridge
The Bridge of Lions is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and twice, during the long fight to preserve it (which ran for over two decades) was included by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on its list of the "11 Most Endangered Historic Sites" in the nation.
From its earliest days, it was hailed as "The Most Beautiful Bridge in Dixie."[1] It has long been a symbol of the nation's oldest city.
It gets its name from two Carrara marble lion statues that are copies of those found in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy. The statues were a gift of Dr. Andrew Anderson (1839-1924), a physician and philanthropist in St. Augustine who spent the last decade of his life putting works of art in public places in the Ancient City. The lions reference the name "Leon" in Ponce De Leon, which means "Lion" in Spanish.
[edit] Replacement bridge
A new "temporary" bridge has been constructed adjacent to the original "Bridge of Lions", and as of May 18, 2006, traffic started using this temporary bridge while the original bridge is being rehabilitated and reconstructed to look like its predecessor.[1] After nearly 80 years of service, an official closing ceremony for the original Bridge of Lions was held on May 26, 2006. Isabella Heard, one of the young girls who had cut the ribbon for the opening of the bridge in 1927, was there, in a wheelchair, to tie the ribbon for its closing 79 years later.
Several components of the original bridge are either being rehabilitated or returned (as lost components) to the rehabilitated bridge. Primarily, the exterior or fascia steel girders are being rehabiliated along with the bascule tower piers. Once the rehabiliation of the original bridge is completed, at a total project cost of 77 million dollars, the temporary bridge will be removed and used as part of an artificial reef just offshore.[2] The two lions are in safe storage for the duration of the renovation.[3]
 Stone lion on the bridge |
 New Years fireworks at St Augustine seen through the Bridge of Lions |
[edit] References
- ^ "Revitalizing a Florida favorite". Rebuilding America's Infrastructure (Chicago: Stagnito MEdia) 1 (2): 32–37. July 2009. Archived from the original on July 16, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5iK9ACSpg. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
- ^ http://www.fdotbridgeoflions.com/press_releases.html
- ^ http://www.fdotbridgeoflions.com/press_releases.html
- Florida, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, 2004, pg. 197
- staugustine.com - [2]
- FDOT, Bridge of Lions Rehab Project - http://www.fdotbridgeoflions.com/
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