Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida
The Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville crosses the St. Johns River a fixed span. The bridge was named for former Jacksonville City Councilman St. Elmo W. Acosta, who convinced voters to approve a $950,000 bond issue for the original bridge. The bridge was originally named the St. Johns River Bridge when it opened in 1921 and was 3 lanes on a lift bridge before being replaced with the current Acosta Bridge in 1991. Tolls were charged until 1940, and the tolls earned more than $4 million for the City of Jacksonville. In 1991, the original bridge was closed and construction began on the new bridge.
Today, The beautiful Acosta Bridge is lit up with purple neon lights that illuminate it at night, and it carries State Road 13 (six lanes) across the river, and ends at the north end of the bridge at Riverside Avenue. The bridge has a two-track JTA Skyway rail system in the median. Despite being a freeway, bicycles are permitted to ride on the main lanes of the bridge.