The Charles E. Bennett Memorial Bridge carries Florida State Road 116 traffic over the Intracoastal Waterway south of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It was named for Charles Edward Bennett, a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida who was involved in the creation of Mayport Naval Station. The bridge is commonly referred to as the Wonderwood Bridge, as the bridge is located on Wonderwood Drive. [1]
In 1997, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and City Council voted to build the Wonderwood Connector. Construction began on the bridge in May 2001 and was projected to be completed in November 2003. In August 2003, engineers determined that an uncompleted portion of the bridge would be too low for a Coast Guard permit, and construction was halted in November 2003. The bridge was completed on July 24, 2004. [2] The bridge was the linchpin of a $122 million project for a connector that began in 1987. The connector, Florida State Road 116, was completed in June 2009. State Road 116 connects Mayport Naval Station and the beaches communities with the mainland. The cost of the bridge was $36.5 million. [3]
In August 2003 engineers calculated that the center span of the bridge would not be high enough for a Coast Guard permit. The permit required a height of 65 feet above the waterway, however, the bridge would be a few inches too short to qualify for the permit. In November 2003, the JTA worked with Jacobs Civil on a design that would meet the requirements for the permit. [4] The new completion date was projected for July 2004. Jacksonville Transportation officials stated that sorting out who was responsible for the construction delays could take months or even years; however, the completion of the bridge was delayed only 7 months from the initial completion date of November 2003. The cause of the height issue was the JTA's opting for a design that planned for a height of 65 feet 2.25 inches. JTA Deputy Executive Director Matt Dominy stated that the agency had initially planned for a height of 67 to 68 feet but went with the lower height due to costs. [5]
The Charles E. Bennett Memorial Bridge is a four-lane bridge that connects Arlington to Mayport Road. Traffic each way is 10,500 vehicles per day. [6] The bridge is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. According to National Bridge Inventory Condition Ratings, the bridge is rated as in good condition. [6]
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of Florida, the most populous city in the state, and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968. Consolidation gave Jacksonville its great size and placed most of its metropolitan population within the city limits. As of 2020, Jacksonville's population is 949,611, making it the 12th most populous city in the U.S., the most populous city in the Southeast, and the most populous city in the South outside of the state of Texas. With a population of 1,733,937, the Jacksonville metropolitan area ranks as Florida's fourth-largest metropolitan region.
The Jacksonville Skyway is an automated people mover in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, operated by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). Opening in 1989 with three stations in Downtown Jacksonville, the Skyway was extended in 1996 following a conversion from its original technology to Bombardier Transportation equipment. It was expanded again in 1998 and 2000. The currently fare-free system comprises two routes across 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of track, serving eight stations, and crosses the St. Johns River on the Acosta Bridge. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 296,300, or about 1,200 per day as of the fourth quarter of 2021.
The Fuller Warren Bridge is the prestressed-concrete girder bridge that carries Interstate 95 (I-95) across the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The current structure was finished in October 2002, replacing the original bascule-bridge span, finished in 1954.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is the independent agency responsible for public transit in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and roadway infrastructure that connects northeast Florida. However, they do not maintain any roadways. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 5,886,200, or about 19,000 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2021.
The Shands Bridge is a two-lane automobile bridge carrying SR 16 over the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville, Florida.
State Road 202 (SR 202) is a 13.042-mile-long (20.989 km) state highway that extends from U.S. Route 1, in Jacksonville, Florida to SR A1A, in Jacksonville Beach, near the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Ponte Vedra Beach, and includes a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. To locals, the road is better known as J. Turner Butler Boulevard, Butler Boulevard, or JTB. Except for a 0.5-mile-long (800 m) section from US 1 to Interstate 95 (I-95), it is a completely limited-access expressway. It was constructed in sections by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. The first section opened in 1979, but the entire road was not completed until 1997.
Charles Edward Bennett was an American politician serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida from 1949 to 1993. He was a Democrat who resided in Jacksonville, Florida. He is the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in Florida's history.
The Saint Johns River Ferry, also known as the Mayport Ferry, is an automobile ferry between Mayport and Fort George Island, two areas within Jacksonville, Florida. The 0.9 miles (1.4 km) voyage crosses the Saint Johns River about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) inland of the river's mouth and travels in an east-west direction for approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) on State Road A1A. It departs every half-hour.
The Jacksonville Metropolitan Area, also called the First Coast, Metro Jacksonville, or Northeast Florida, is the metropolitan area centered on the principal city of Jacksonville, Florida and including the First Coast of North Florida. According to the 2020 United States Census, the total population was 1,605,848. The Jacksonville–St. Marys–Palatka, FL–GA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) had a population of 1,733,937 in 2020 and was the 34th largest CSA in the United States. The Jacksonville metropolitan area is the 40th largest in the country and the fourth largest in the State of Florida, behind the Miami, Tampa, and Orlando metropolitan areas.
State Road 101 (SR 101) is a 1.209-mile-long (1.946 km) state highway in Duval County, in the First Coast part of the U.S. state of Florida. It connects SR A1A to the south side of Naval Station Mayport on Maine Street. Along its route, SR 101 meets the east end of SR 116. At the south end of SR 101, Mayport Road continues on SR A1A to Atlantic Boulevard (SR 10). After going under the SR A1A/SR 10 bridge, Mayport Road becomes Florida Boulevard.
The Blackburn Point Bridge is a historic swing bridge located near Osprey, Florida, United States, that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is a one-lane swing bridge located on Blackburn Point Road at the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. It is the northernmost of the two bridges connecting the barrier island Casey Key to the mainland of Florida.
The JAXPORT Cruise Terminal is a 63,000 sq ft (5,900 m2) "temporary" cruise ship terminal in Jacksonville, Florida. The facility located at the northwest corner of the Dames Point Marine Terminal, beside the Dames Point Bridge. It was completed in six months during 2003 and is a facility at the Port of Jacksonville, administered by the Jacksonville Port Authority. The baggage handling area is 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m2); and a passenger embarkation section has 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2). Vehicle access to the site is via Hecksher Drive and there is paved parking for about 600 cars.
Transportation in Florida includes a variety of options, including Interstate Highways, U.S. Highways, and Florida State Roads; Amtrak and commuter rail services; airports, public transportation, and sea ports, in a number of the state's counties and regions.
The Jacksonville Port Authority (JPA) also known by its brand name, JAXPORT, is the independent government agency in Jacksonville, Florida, that owns and operates much of the seaport system at the Port of Jacksonville.
State Road 116 (SR 116) is a 9.026-mile-long (14.526 km) state highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It travels nearly due west-east entirely within the city limits of Jacksonville, in Duval County. At its west terminus, SR 116 is signed as Merrill Road beginning at the intersection with Interstate 295 and SR 113 near the St. Johns River. At its eastern terminus, it is signed as Wonderwood Road, ending at the intersection with SR 101 just south of Naval Station Mayport. Here, the Wonderwood Road designation continues to Hanna Park.
The Jacksonville Beaches, known locally as "The Beaches", are a group of towns and communities on the northern half of an unnamed barrier island on the US state of Florida's First Coast, all of which are excluded cities or parts of the city of Jacksonville itself. These communities are separated from the main body of the city of Jacksonville by the Intracoastal Waterway. The Jacksonville Beaches are located in Duval and northern St. Johns County counties, and make up part of the Jacksonville metropolitan area. The main communities generally identified as part of the Beaches are Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach.
The Jacksonville transportation network includes ground, air, and sea options for passenger and freight transit. The Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) operates the Port of Jacksonville, which includes container shipping facilities at Blount Island Marine Terminal, the Talleyrand Marine Terminal and the Dames Point Marine Terminal. Jacksonville Aviation Authority managers Jacksonville International Airport in Northside, as well as several smaller airports. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) operates bus, people mover, and park-n-ride services throughout the city and region. A major bus terminal at the intermodal Rosa Parks Transit Station serves as JTA's main transit hub. Various intercity bus companies terminate near Central Station. Amtrak operates passenger rail service to and from major cities throughout North America. The city is bisected by major highways, I-95 and I-10, I-295 creates a full beltway around the city.
Arlington is a large region of Jacksonville, Florida, and is generally understood as a counterpart to the city's other large regions, the Urban Core, Northside, Southside, Westside, and the Beaches. It borders the Southside area at its southern end, and has several bridge connections to nearby beaches, the Northside and Downtown. The expansive neighborhood was incorporated into the city in 1968 as a result the Jacksonville Consolidation, a city-county consolidation of the governments of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County. Arlington is known for its mid-century modern architecture, and contains several architectural significant homes designed by local architects Robert C. Broward, Taylor Hardwick, and William Morgan.
The Northside is a large region of Jacksonville, Florida, and is generally understood as a counterpart to the city's other large regions, the Urban Core, Arlington, Southside, Westside, and the Beaches. The expansive area consists of historic communities, cultural landmarks, protected ecosystems and vital transportation and logistics facilities, all fundamental to the history and development of Jacksonville.
William O. Birchfield Jr. was an American politician, lawyer, and civic leader in Jacksonville, Florida. He referred to himself as the "Duke of Mayo" from the small town where he was born and raised.