The Douglas Stenstrom Bridge, also known as the Osteen Bridge, is a steel-and-concrete bridge located in Indian Mound Village, Florida, east of Sanford, that carries State Road 415 over the St. Johns River. The current bridge was completed in 1977, replacing a 1920s vintage bridge that was considered the most dangerous in the state; a second parallel span was completed in 2015.
Osteen Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28°48′09″N 81°12′37″W / 28.8026°N 81.2102°W |
| Carries |  SR 415(4 general purpose lanes) |
| Crosses | St. Johns River |
| Locale | Indian Mound Village, Florida |
| Official name | Douglas Stenstrom Bridge |
| Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 790124 790219 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steel-reinforced concrete |
| Total length | 2,426 feet (739 m) |
| Clearance below | 24 feet (7.3 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | April 1977 |
| Location | |
 | |
History
editThe original Osteen Bridge, a hand-turned swing bridge,[1] was built in the 1920s;[2] it was rebuilt in 1947. The bridge is located just upstream from Lake Monroe,[3] crossing the Indian Mound Slu portion of the river between Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup; by the 1970s the original bridge, only 14 feet (4.3 m) in width, proved dangerous and too narrow for continued use, being described as "the worst bridge in Florida" in 1972.[4] In 1973, mats of invasive water hyacinth caused damage to the bridge's structure.[5]
An accident in 1974 that killed five people when their van was run off the bridge by a truck gave the final impetus to the construction of a new bridge, replacing the dangerous older span.[6] The new Osteen Bridge was constructed starting in 1975, with work continuing through 1976 and early 1977;[1] constructed by the Houdaille-Duval-Wright company of Jacksonville,[7] the project cost approximately $2.6 million USD.[1] The new bridge opened in April 1977, and was officially named the Douglas Stenstrom Bridge in 1978, after a Florida state senator Douglas Stenstrom who had pushed for the completion of the project.[2] Part of the previous bridge was left in place, serving as a fishing pier.[8]
Repairs to the bridge were undertaken during 2011.[9] A second parallel bridge was completed in 2015 to support the widening of SR 415 to 2 lanes in each direction.[10]
References
edit- Citations
- ^ a b c Weber, Dave (September 14, 1976). "Osteen Bridge Work On Time". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 2B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ a b "Osteen Bridge Dedicated". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. August 18, 1978. p. 1B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ Belleville 2000, p.56.
- ^ "New Osteen Bridge Hearing Tonight". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. February 28, 1972. p. 3. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ "Timeline of the Major Events in the Aquatic Plant Control Program". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. July 31, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ Weber, Dave (October 10, 1975). "Osteen Bridge Moving Along". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 1B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ "Work To Start On New Osteen Bridge". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. July 9, 1975. p. 2B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ McCarthy 2008, p.15.
- ^ "DOT to repair Osteen Bridge". The Sanford Herald. Sanford, FL. May 9, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ Harper, Mark (November 12, 2013). "S.R. 415 widening project makes progress". Daytona Beach News-Journal.
- Bibliography
- Belleville, Bill (2000). River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0-8203-2344-6.
- McCarthy, Kevin M. (2008). St. Johns River Guidebook (2nd ed.). Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press. ISBN 978-1-56164-435-3.
External links
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