Granada Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 29°17′13″N81°03′08″W / 29.28694°N 81.05222°W Coordinates: 29°17′13″N81°03′08″W / 29.28694°N 81.05222°W |
Carries | Four lanes of ![]() |
Crosses | Halifax River Intracoastal Waterway |
Locale | Ormond Beach, Florida |
Official name | Rockefeller Memorial Bridge |
Maintained by | Florida Dept. of Transportation |
ID number | 790132 |
Characteristics | |
Design | Stringer/Multi-beam or Girder |
Material | Prestressed concrete |
Total length | 586.1 meters (1,923 ft) |
Clearance below | 19.8 meters (65 ft) |
History | |
Opened | 1887 (First Bridge) 1905 (Second Bridge) 1954 (Third Bridge) 1983 (Fourth Bridge) |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 35,500 |
Toll | Free |
Location | |
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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. [1] The Casements, along with City Hall Plaza, Fortunato Park, and Riverbridge Park reside at the four corners of Ormond Beach's Granada Bridge, [2] which give their collective name to the annual "Four Corners Festival" in Ormond Beach. [3]
In September 1999, the bridge was crossed by about 24,000 cars every day. [4] By January 2007, that number increased to approximately 35,500 vehicles per day. [1]
The Town of Ormond was incorporated March 22, 1880. There were few residents on the beach peninsula until 1886, when the St. Johns and Halifax Railroad reached the area. The railroad brought new visitors, which inspired John Anderson and Joseph Price to build the Ormond Hotel on the beachside. They also planned to build a bridge across the Halifax River so railroad passengers could walk to their new hotel. [5]
In 1887, Florida Congressman Charles Dougherty sponsored three bills, authorizing the building of bridges in Volusia County, across the Halifax River, St. Johns River, and Indian Lagoon. In that same year, La Vega, which itself was called New England Avenue in 1875, was renamed to Granada Boulevard. [6] The towns of Ormond and Daytona competed to build the first bridge across the Halifax River. In 1887, Anderson and Price managed to finish their bridge in Ormond first. It was a simple wooden bridge, with a drawbridge device for boats to pass. [5]
Florida East Coast Railway owner Henry M. Flagler bought out the St. Johns and Halifax Railroad, and bought into the Ormond Hotel. By 1890, Flagler bought out his partners' interest in the hotel and expanded it to 300 rooms. In 1905, Flagler built a second bridge near the first as a railroad spur so his trains could carry passengers directly to the resort. Later, Flagler had the railroad bridge redesigned so wealthy visitors could drive automobiles over it to the hotel. The first wooden bridge was demolished soon afterward. [7]
The converted railroad bridge stood for many years until it became too old to be serviced. A newer, two-lane concrete bascule bridge (drawbridge) was constructed to carry Granada Boulevard. It was opened on March 2, 1954, and named the Rockefeller Memorial Bridge for Standard Oil billionaire John D. Rockefeller, who had made The Casements in Ormond his winter and retirement home until he died in 1937. [5] [8]
The widening of State Road 40 in the 1980s created the need for a new bridge. During the construction of Granada Bridge, a platform collapsed and caused three workers to fall more than 60 feet onto a barge, with one falling to his death. [9] The Florida State Department of Transportation was in charge of the bridge construction, and built the present four-lane high clearance concrete and steel bridge in 1983. In May 1987, the U.S. federal government agreed to provide $8.16 million of the estimated $12 million cost of building a Port Orange, Florida bridge planned to be similar to the Granada Bridge. [10] The resulting bridge across the Halifax River, the Port Orange Causeway across the Halifax River, was completed in 1990.
In July 1997, a kitten named Lucky fell from a truck on the Granada Bridge and, after scrambling to safety from other moving cars, fell from the bridge. Lucky suffered a broken leg and acute kidney failure in the fall, and was rescued from a barnacle-covered piling by the U.S. Department of Transportation. His owners considered putting him down after learning of his bad shape and the expense of a kidney transplant. When Lucky's story was released to the public, donations poured in to help pay for the transplant. The survival of Lucky, whose name was changed to Timmy following the accident, was called "miraculous" by his attending veterinarian. [11]
Bicycle lanes are marked in the shoulder of the span and two pedestrian walkways at the far ends. The bridge is part of the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, a Florida Scenic Highway, designated on July 9, 2007. [1] [12]
Flagler County is a county located on the northeastern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 95,696. Its county seat is Bunnell. Created in 1917 from portions of Saint Johns and Volusia Counties, it was named for Henry Morrison Flagler, who built the Florida East Coast Railway.
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 2010 census, the county was home to 494,593 people, an increase of 11.6% from 2000. 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.
Daytona Beach 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.
Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,137 at the 2010 census. Ormond Beach is the northern neighbor of Daytona Beach and is home to Tomoka State Park. It is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ormond-by-the-Sea is a census-designated place and an unincorporated town in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,430 as of the 2000 census.
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México.
State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. Part of SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, a National Scenic Byway. A portion of SR A1A that passes through Volusia County is designated the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, a Florida Scenic Highway. It is also called the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway from State Road 510 at Wabasso Beach to U.S. Route 1 in Cocoa. SR A1A is famous worldwide as a center of beach culture in the United States, a scenic coastal route through most Atlantic coastal cities and beach towns, including the unique tropical coral islands of the Florida Keys. SR A1A also serves as a major thoroughfare through Miami Beach and other south Florida coastal cities.
The Broadway Bridge is a segmental bridge that spans the Halifax River and Intracoastal Waterway in downtown Daytona Beach, Florida, carrying U.S. Route 92.
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).
Halifax Health is the system of hospitals and professional centers spread across Volusia and Flagler counties in the U.S. state of Florida.
The Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Volusia and Flagler counties in the state of Florida. As of 2013, it is the 88th-largest MSA in the United States, with a census-estimated population of 600,756.
The Ormond Hotel was a historic hotel in Ormond Beach, Florida, United States. It was located at 15 East Granada Boulevard.
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 Halifax area or simply Daytona is a region of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the area around Daytona Beach. It is roughly coextensive with the Daytona Beach metropolitan area and Volusia County. There have been a number of attempts to establish a regional identity for Daytona, including dubbing it the "Surf Coast" and "Fun Coast". The name "Halifax area" refers to the Halifax River, which runs through Daytona Beach and other nearby municipalities.
The Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail is a series of scenic state and county highways in Volusia County, Florida. CR 2002 is the northern leg of the trail. CR 4011(Old Dixie Highway and North Beach Street) is the western leg, with a spur onto Pine Tree Drive. SR 40(East Granada Boulevard) is the southern leg of the trail. CR 2803(John Anderson Drive) is the central leg of the trail, and SR A1A is the eastern leg of the trail. Florida Scenic Highway, designated this route on July 9, 2007.
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.
Sumner Hale Gove (1853–1926) was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, as the ninth child of Worthen Augustus and Emeline Augusta (Spencer) Gove. He was a businessman, politician, and prolific developer and architect. During the early 1880s, he was employed as a carpenter and builder in the Groton, Connecticut area. In 1882, he served as a member of the Connecticut General Assembly.
The Veterans Memorial Bridge, commonly called the Orange Avenue Bridge, spans the Halifax River and Intracoastal Waterway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Volusia County, Florida. The bridge carries vehicles across two lanes of CR 4050 from Orange Avenue and Silver Beach Avenue.
Ormond Beach will also have its annual Four Corners Festival on the Fourth.
A spokesman for U.S. Congressman Bill Chappell, D-Ormond Beach, said the federal government will pay $8.16 million of the estimated $12 million cost of building a 65-foot-high bridge that will be similar to the Granada Bridge in Ormond Beach.
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