The Snow-Reed Swing Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in the Fort Lauderdale area, and one of the few remaining swing bridges in Florida.[1] Located between the 300 and 500 block of Southwest 11th (Palm) Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the bridge connects the neighborhoods of Sailboat Bend and Riverside Park. In 1989 it was officially renamed and designated a historic landmark .
A wood bridge supported by a single piling used to cross at SW 9th Avenue.[2] In 1916, the old Andrews Avenue swing bridge was moved to cross at 11th Avenue. Locals along the North Fork requested the bridge.[3] This was replaced in 1924 by a new swing bridge, which is still in place.
History
The bridge was constructed from 1924 to 1925.[1] The process of ordering and building the bridge spanned the terms of two different Fort Lauderdale mayors, E.G. Snow and Will J. Reed.[4] Known simply as the old Southwest 11th Avenue bridge it was renamed for these two mayors in 1989.[5]
There is a plaque mounted on the NW bridge abutment wall, which reads:
City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Officers 1924
R.G. Snow, Mayor
Councilmen: Frank Stranahan, Chairman
Geo. Young, R.E. Dye, J.A. Warren
Officers 1925
Will J. Reed, Mayor
...
Jasper Lawson, Clerk
H.C. Davis, Engineer
Erected 1924-25 by
The Champion Bridge Company, Wilmington Ohio
The Champion Bridge Company was a well-known builder of truss bridges.[6] The bridge is a truss bridge with an approximately 100-foot span.[7] To open the bridge for marine vessels, an electric motor drives a pinion gear which engages a ring gear in the base of the bridge. If the electric motor is not working, the bridge can also be opened manually using a large wrench (approx. 8' DEEP socket with an 8' long handle).
The bridge was originally designed only to be operated manually, a gasoline motor was installed in 1930.[4] The electric motor was installed in 1954 but was not operational during the 1955 mayoral campaign when incumbent Mal Carlisle took credit for electrifying the bridge. This blunder cost Carlisle the election.[8]
The Snow-Reed Swing Bridge was designated a Historical Landmark in 1989 by the Fort Lauderdale Historic Preservation Board.[8] In the 1990s because of cross river crime, some residents sought to remove the bridge.[1] The proposal to close the bridge met substantial opposition from neighborhood residents and local preservationists.[8][9][4] It is the oldest bridge in the city of Fort Lauderdale and as of 2005[update] was one of only ten swing bridges remaining in Florida.[8]
Renovation
The bridge was closed for nearly a year for a major renovation and reopened on August 1, 2010.[10] Contractors replaced damaged structural steel, added new railings and grating, upgraded mechanical and electrical systems, and constructed a new tender control house (behind the historical one which was preserved).[11]
Broward County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 million residents as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Fort Lauderdale, which had a population of 182,760 as of 2020.
Fort Lauderdale is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, 30 miles (48 km) north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 as of the 2020 Census making it the tenth largest city in Florida. Along with Miami and Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale is one of the three principal cities that comprise the Miami metropolitan area, which has a population of 6,166,488.
Lauderdale Lakes, officially the City of Lauderdale Lakes, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 32,593. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 5,564,635 people.
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, situated 33 miles north of Miami. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,056. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census.
North Lauderdale is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 44,794. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,166,488 people in the 2020 census.
Oakland Park, officially the City of Oakland Park, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 44,229. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 6,166,488 people at the 2020 census.
Plantation is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 91,750. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area. The city's name comes from the previous part-owner of the land, the Everglades Plantation Company, and their unsuccessful attempts to establish a rice plantation in the area.
Tamarac is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 71,897. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people in 2015.
Wilton Manors is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,426. Wilton Manors is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,166,488 people at the 2020 census.
The FLA Live Arena is an indoor arena located next to Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, Florida. It is the home venue for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. It was completed in 1998, at a cost of US$185 million, almost entirely publicly financed, and features 70 suites and 2,623 club seats.
Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2019, Port Everglades was ranked the third-busiest cruise homeport in the world, accommodating more than 3.89 million passengers. It was also one of the busiest container ports in Florida and ranked among the top 20 busiest in the United States, moving more than 1 million TEUs annually.
The Davie School is a historic school in Davie, Florida, USA. It is located at 6650 Griffin Road. It was designed by August Geiger. It opened its doors in 1918 to 90 students, and was in continuous use as a school until 1978. On March 29, 1988, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is the oldest extant school building in Broward County.
The Bryan Building, which has also been known as the Shepherd Building and as the DeSoto Hotel, is a historic site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is located at 220-230 Brickell Avenue. In 1997 it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Croissant Park Administration Building is a historic site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is located at 1421 South Andrews Avenue. On July 25, 2001, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The New River is a tidal estuary in South Florida, United States. Despite its name, it is not a river, but a channel composed of many tributary canals, The channel is connected to the Everglades through a series of man-made canals. After passing through Fort Lauderdale, the channel connects to the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean at Port Everglades cut. The channel is entirely within Broward County and is composed from the junction of three main canals which originate in the Everglades, splitting off from the Miami Canal. They are the North New River Canal, which flows south from Lake Okeechobee along the east side of U.S. 27 and then east along the north side of State Road 84 / Interstate 595; the South New River Canal, which flows east from the Miami Canal along the north side of Griffin Road and the south side of Orange Drive; and a canal which flows east along the south side of Sunrise Boulevard.
The Coca-Cola Bottling Plant is an historic building located at 644 South Andrews Avenue at the corner of Southeast 7th Street in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Built in 1938, it was designed by Fort Lauderdale architect Courtney Stewart in the Mission/Spanish Revival style of architecture. It is listed in the historic preservation unit of the city's comprehensive plan and is also listed on the Broward Trust for Historic Preservation's Significant and Endangered Sites in Broward County, Florida.
The Wave was a planned 2.7-mile (4.3 km) streetcar line in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Construction costs were estimated to be $200 million. The project was cancelled in 2018.
Fort Lauderdale station is an inter-city rail station located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is served by Brightline, which connects Miami, West Palm Beach, and eventually Orlando International Airport. The station is located in downtown Fort Lauderdale, on NW 2nd Avenue between Broward Boulevard and NW 4th Street, adjacent to the Broward County Transit's Central Terminal.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
Dean J. Trantalis is an American politician and mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Before his election as mayor, Trantalis served as a city commissioner for Fort Lauderdale from 2009 to 2017.
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