Astor Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 29°10′03″N81°31′23″W / 29.1675°N 81.5231°W Coordinates: 29°10′03″N81°31′23″W / 29.1675°N 81.5231°W |
Carries | SR 40 (two general purpose lanes) |
Crosses | St. Johns River |
Locale | Astor, Florida |
Official name | Astor Bridge |
Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
ID number | 110077 |
Characteristics | |
Design | Single-leaf bascule bridge |
Total length | 515 feet (157 m) |
Clearance below | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
History | |
Opened | October 1980 |
Location | |
The Astor Bridge is a single-leaf bascule bridge located in Astor, Florida that carries State Road 40 over the St. Johns River into Volusia. The first bridge on the site was built in 1926; the current bridge dates from 1980.
The original Astor Bridge, a wooden structure, was constructed across the St. Johns River in 1926; [1] it replaced a ferry that crossed the river at Astor. [2] A steel swing section was later constructed, replacing the original wooden structure. [3]
The current Astor Bridge was built in 1980, [3] after the previous bridge was deemed dangerous and restricted to vehicles under 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg). [4] Residents favored a high-level bridge further south, but a drawbridge located adjacent to the existing bridge was considered the best option from cost and environmental standpoints. [5]
The new bridge was constructed by the Houdallie-Duval-Wright Co. of Jacksonville, which had bid $4,060,575 for the project. [6] It opened in October 1980. [7] Following its construction, the previous bridge's bridge tender's house was moved to the Blackwater Inn adjacent to the bridge, then to the Pioneer Settlement for Creative Arts in Barberville for preservation and display. [8]
After the construction of the current bridge a naming dispute arose between the towns of Astor and Volusia, [9] which was not resolved until 1989 when the bridge was officially named the Astor Bridge. [10]
The bridge's decking was replaced in the early 1990s, and then again in a $788,000 project during 2012. [11]
There are five bridge tenders who operate the bridge to allow river traffic to pass. [11] It carries approximately 7,000 vehicles per day. [12]
During the 1970s the bridge was considered by the Florida Department of Transportation to be "one of the most hazardous road sections in Florida". [13]
The Astor Bridge was struck by a barge on March 23, 1995. [14]
A safety net was tested on the bridge in 1995, to catch any vehicles that overran the bridge when it was open; [15] the test was successfully completed. [16]
Volusia County is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 2010 census. It was founded on December 29, 1854, from part of Orange County, and was named for the community of Volusia, located in northwestern Volusia County. Its first county seat was Enterprise. Since 1887, its county seat has been DeLand.
Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning 132.298 miles (212.913 km) along a generally southwest–northeast axis, I-4 is entirely concurrent with State Road 400 (SR 400). In the west, I-4 begins at an interchange with I-275 in Tampa. I-4 intersects with several major expressways as it traverses Central Florida, including U.S. Route 41 (US 41) in Tampa; US 301 near Riverview; I-75 near Brandon; US 98 in Lakeland; US 192 in Celebration; Florida's Turnpike in Orlando; and US 17 and US 92 in multiple junctions. In the east, I-4 ends at an interchange with I-95 in Daytona Beach, while SR 400 continues for roughly another 4 mi (6.4 km) and ends at an intersection with US 1 on the city line of Daytona Beach and South Daytona.
Daytona Beach or simply Daytona is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It lies approximately 51 miles (82.1 km) northeast of Orlando, 86 miles (138.4 km) southeast of Jacksonville, and 265 miles (426.5 km) northwest of Miami. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 61,005. It is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area, which was home to 600,756 people as of 2013. Daytona Beach is also a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida.
DeLand is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately 34 miles (55 km) north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately 23 miles (37 km) west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. According to the City of Deland's website, the Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research estimates Deland to have a population of 34,851 as of 2019. It is a part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area, which was home to 590,289 people as of the 2010 census.
Deltona is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and the most populous city in Volusia County. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Monroe along the St. Johns River in central Florida. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 85,182. The city is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, Florida metropolitan statistical area, which is grouped with the larger Orlando–Lakeland–Deltona, Florida combined statistical area.
The Orlando metropolitan area, commonly referred to as Greater Orlando, Metro Orlando, and for U.S. Census purposes as the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. Its principal cities are Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines it as consisting of the counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal is a Florida daily newspaper serving Volusia and Flagler Counties.
State Road 40 is a 91.832-mile-long (147.789 km) east–west route across central Florida, running from U.S. Route 41 in Rainbow Lakes Estates eastwards through Ocala over the Ocklawaha River and bridge and through the heart of the Ocala National Forest to State Road A1A in Ormond Beach. Names of the road include Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala, Fort Brooks Road from Silver Springs through Astor, Butler Road in Astor, and Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach. Former sections in Ormond Beach are named "Old Tomoka Road" and "Old Tomoka Avenue."
The Halifax River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, located in northeast Volusia County, Florida. The waterway was originally known as the North Mosquito River, but was renamed after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, during the British occupation of Florida (1763–1784).
Volusia is an unincorporated community in Volusia County, Florida, United States on the eastern shore of the St. Johns River, about three miles south of Lake George and across the river from the town of Astor in Lake County. Volusia is one of the oldest European settlements in Florida. The main route through the town is State Road 40, which crosses the St. Johns on the Astor Bridge.
Suzanne M. Kosmas is the former U.S. Representative for Florida's 24th congressional district, serving one term from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously served in the Florida House of Representatives.
The Port Orange Causeway, commonly called the Port Orange Bridge or the Dunlawton Bridge, spans the Halifax River and Intracoastal Waterway in Port Orange, Volusia County, Florida. The bridge carries approximately 29,000 vehicles per day across four lanes of State Road A1A and Dunlawton Avenue.
The Granada Bridge is a high-clearance bridge that spans the Halifax River and Intracoastal Waterway, linking the mainland and beach peninsula parts of Ormond Beach, Volusia County, Florida. Granada Bridge carries four lanes of State Road 40 and Granada Blvd. The Casements, along with City Hall Plaza, Fortunato Park, and Riverbridge Park reside at the four corners of Ormond Beach's Granada Bridge, which give their collective name to the annual "Four Corners Festival" in Ormond Beach.
Charles "Pete" Orr was an American stock car racing driver. Regarded as a superstar in Florida late model competition, Orr competed primarily in the lower levels of racing, but did have a brief NASCAR Busch Series career; his death from lymphoma in 2002 led to the State of Florida enacting insurance reform.
The Fort Gates Ferry is an auto ferry that crosses the St. Johns River in Florida, downstream of Lake George and just upstream of Little Lake George, at Fruitland Cove. The oldest operating ferry in Florida, it acts as part of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.
The Drayton Island Ferry is an auto ferry that crosses the St. Johns River in Putnam County, Florida, connecting Georgetown on the eastern bank with Drayton Island, located in the middle of the river at the north end of Lake George. It provides the only public access to the island.
The Francis P. Whitehair Bridge, also known as the Crows Bluff Bridge, is a double leaf bascule bridge located in Crows Bluff, Florida that carries State Road 44 over the St. Johns River. The original bridge on the site was constructed in 1917; replaced in 1955, and though it was previously expected to remain in service until the 2050s, a new version of the bridge is under construction.
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.
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The George E. Turner Power Plant was a coal-burning, and later oil-burning, electrical power plant constructed on the north shore of Lake Monroe, in Enterprise, Florida, United States in 1926. The plant operated as an oil-burning power plant until 1994, providing electrical power to more than 300,000 homes during its peak. The plant was decommissioned in 1994, and occasionally used as a filming location for several television productions. The plant was razed in 2007, and the site now utilized as an ecological buffer zone.
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