4. John E. Mathews Bridge

The Mathews Bridge under construction. Built between 1951 and 1953, it was dedicated to Judge Mathews who had advocated building the bridge since the early 1930s. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/167040

For many years, the Matthews was considered downtown’s most notorious crossing, due to the center span’s steel grating.  Named after the state legislator who helped gather its funding, John E. Mathews, the bridge opened in 1953, resulting in the population boom in Arlington while also signaling the leveling off of retail development in downtown. The Mathews stretches 7,736 feet in length with a clearance below of 152 feet, enabling freighters to move to maritime related industries along Commodore’s Point. In 2007, the bridge’s dangerous center span grating was replaced with a lightweight concrete surface.

5. Fuller Warren Bridge

Image courtesy of the State Archives of Florida.

Originally completed one year after the Mathews (1954), the Fuller Warren is the most heavily traveled bridge in downtown Jacksonville.  The original bridge was a bascule structure that was known for clogging up Interstate 95 traffic with toll booths and a vertical lift span.  It’s ultimate demise also represents one of the recent missed opportunities that the city has failed to take advantage of.  It was demolished in 2007 at a cost higher than it would have been to convert the structure into a public pier. The current structure was completed in 2002 by the Florida Department of Transportation. The 7,500 foot segmental bridge carries eight lanes across the St. Johns with a clearance below of 75 feet.

6. Isaiah David Hart Bridge

The Hart Bridge in 1981. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/139243

This structure is named after the founder of Jacksonville, Isaiah David Hart.  Completed in 1967, it was the last river crossing to be constructed in downtown before the Acosta and Fuller Warren replacements. It was envisioned to be a part of an expressway to the beach that was never completed. The Hart Bridge’s cantilever steel truss structure makes it a unique addition to the urban landscape. Referred to as the “Green Monster”, the Hart stretches 3,844 feet across the river with a clearance below of 141 feet.

Together the FEC, Acosta, Main, Mathews, Fuller Warren, and Hart Bridges combine to give downtown a visual appeal that can’t be recreated anywhere else.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com