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The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: South Moon Under coming to SJTC

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop coming to Mandarin

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Scramblers coming to Deerwood, Lakewood

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Gucci to SJTC; Taverna debuting new concept

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Dolly Llama to PVB; Lowe’s, Wawa to CR-210

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Vestcor planning Lofts at San Marco East

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Rockler Woodworking coming to SJTC

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Sportsman’s Warehouse coming to River City Marketplace

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Tesla expanding its local presence

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    Florida Times-Union building

    Story of a Building: The Florida Times-Union Building

    Edgewood Bakery

    Remembering Edgewood Bakery: Once a Murray Hill Staple, Now an Empty Building

    jacksonville university

    A Brief History of Jacksonville University

    history of Ed wAters College

    A Brief History of Edward Waters College

    Worman's bAKERY AND DELI

    Remembering Worman’s Bakery and Deli

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    San Marco Theater, San Marco, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: San Marco Theatre

    Sun-Ray Cinema building Five Points Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Sun-Ray Cinema Building

  • Jax Evolved
    VyStar at 100 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: VyStar Reinvigorates the Former Life of the South Building

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    Old St. Luke's Hospital jacksonville fl

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Luke’s Hospital Building Now Houses Jacksonville Historical Society

    Paul Davis Restoration, formerly Chevrolet Parts Depot, Springfield, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Paul Davis Restoration Gives Life to Old Chevrolet Parts Depot

    Old St. Andrew's Church building, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Andrew’s Church Building

    Novel Coworking / Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building, 25 N. Market Street, Jacksonville, FL - Image copyright 2020 Google

    JAX EVOLVED: Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building Now Houses Novel Coworking

    Dyal-Upchurch Building, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Downtown Jacksonville Adaptive Reuse Collection

    The Barnett, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: The Barnett’s Long Journey to Redevelopment

    JAX EVOLVED: Brewster Hospital to North Florida Land Trust, LaVilla, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: From Brewster Hospital to North Florida Land Trust

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      Local Producer Alex Moye Releases New Album, “All I Need”

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The Coastal
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Seven Bridges: Main Street Bridge

by The Coastal
December 27, 2015 - Updated on March 21, 2016
in Featured, Seven Bridges, Why Jax
Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville, FL
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One of the most distinct features of the First Coast area is the St. Johns River and the seven bridges that run across it to connect various parts of the city. We will profile each of these bridges, in a series titled “Seven Bridges”.

Opening to traffic in 1941, the Main Street Bridge has long been one of the most distinctive parts of the Jacksonville skyline. The bridge, officially named the John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge, is a third of a mile long and notable for its bright blue hue that glows in the light at nighttime.

The bridge carries traffic to and from the San Marco and downtown areas, with daily traffic numbers ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 commuters. Its northern end leads into downtown, specifically Ocean Drive and Independent Drive, with Jacksonville Landing located just west of the bridge’s exit. Its southern end leads into the areas of San Marco and Southbank, with uninterrupted flow onto I-95. Friendship Fountain is located near its southbound exit by San Marco.

The bridge was constructed in the late 1930s for a July 1941 opening, at a cost of $1.5 million. This makes it the oldest of the seven bridges that still more or less stands in its original form, with others having since been reconstructed. It was built by Ohio-based Mount Vernon Bridge Company.

Its design is that of a vertical lift bridge, employing the use of trusses. This means that the bridge is designed to lift up vertically to accommodate ships passing underneath it, with the entire road span of the bridge still remaining parallel. The overall design of the bridge, specifically its use of trusses, is now considered somewhat antiquated; however, it clearly has not been enough of an issue to affect the bridge’s long lifespan. When “open”, the clearance underneath the bridge becomes up to 100 feet higher. The bridge spans four lanes, and includes a pedestrian sidewalk lane on each side.

The bridge was given its official name of John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge in 1957. Alsop is the longest-serving mayor in the history of Jacksonville; he served from 1923 to 1937, and then again from 1941 to 1945, for a total of seven terms. The bridge was named in Alsop’s honor shortly before his death in 1958. However, aside from a sign placed at the bridge’s south entrance, the bridge is always referred to as Main Street Bridge both by natives and on other signage, carrying Alsop’s name in official capacities only.

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The bridge’s most notable feature is its iconic blue color. When its lights come on at night, the bridge glows a bright royal blue against the backdrop of the St. Johns River.

Last year, the bridge underwent renovations priced at just over $11 million. The project focused on upgrading metal barriers to protect the integrity of the bridge in the event of vehicle crashes. The sidewalks were also patched up to make for better pedestrian access.

The Main Street Bridge, fresh off recent renovations, is now over 70 years old and continues to serve commuters in the downtown, San Marco, and Southbank areas as well as others throughout the city. While it may not be Jacksonville’s biggest, newest, or fanciest bridge, it is without a doubt the most recognized.

Next: Mathews Bridge. Stay tuned!

 

Tags: downtownjohn t alsop jrmain street bridgesan marcoseven bridgessouthbankvertical lift
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The Coastal is a local magazine in Jacksonville, FL, founded in 2015 to bring you stories about the past, present, and future of the First Coast.

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