The Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida
The Dames Point Bridge is officially named the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge, and is sometimes called the Dame Point Bridge. It spans the St. Johns River northeast of downtown Jacksonville, Florida where it carries six lanes of traffic and connects northern Duval County with Arlington and the Beaches area of Jacksonville via Florida Highway 9A.
The Dames Point bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States, and only the 2nd cable-stayed bridge in Florida, after Tampa's Sunshine Skyway. Construction was completed in 1989 by the HNTB Corporation, an architectural and engineering consulting firm with headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri who was hired by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). The bridge was opened to traffic the same year.
The bridge is two miles long, and 175' feet high at its peak above the water, where humans have travelled the river passage for thousands of years. From a distance, the Dames Point Bridge has an awe-inspiring look, with two tall towers spanning 1300 feet apart, and the 168 huge symmetrical support cables that really make the bridge seem gigantic.
The idea of the Dames Point Bridge was first brought up and researched in 1976, when the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) hired the Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff corporation to design the bridge. The primary concerns in building the bridge would be that it could withstand hurricane force winds with great stability. Also, shipping, looks and the use of Florida materials were important factors to be considered.
The Dames Point Bridge project was halted until 1983/84 because of a slumping bonds market. At that time, new construction bids were placed and a $47 million dollar contract was given to the Tyger and Pensacola Construction Companies in a joint venture. Construction started in 1985 and the bridge was opened to traffic in 1989.
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