Osteen Bridge

Osteen Bridge
Coordinates 28°48′09″N 81°12′37″W / 28.8026°N 81.2102°W / 28.8026; -81.2102Coordinates: 28°48′09″N 81°12′37″W / 28.8026°N 81.2102°W / 28.8026; -81.2102
Carries SR 415
(two 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
Characteristics
Design Steel-reinforced concrete
Total length 2,426 feet (739 m)
Clearance below 24 feet (7.3 m)
History
Opened April 1977

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, and replacing a 1920s vintage bridge that was considered the most dangerous in the state.

History

The 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]

References

Citations
  1. 1 2 3 Weber, Dave (September 14, 1976). "Osteen Bridge Work On Time". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 2B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  2. 1 2 "Osteen Bridge Dedicated". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. August 18, 1978. p. 1B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  3. ↑ Belleville 2000, p.56.
  4. ↑ "New Osteen Bridge Hearing Tonight". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. February 28, 1972. p. 3. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  5. ↑ "Timeline of the Major Events in the Aquatic Plant Control Program". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. July 31, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  6. ↑ Weber, Dave (October 10, 1975). "Osteen Bridge Moving Along". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 1B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  7. ↑ "Work To Start On New Osteen Bridge". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. July 9, 1975. p. 2B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  8. ↑ McCarthy 2008, p.15.
  9. ↑ "DOT to repair Osteen Bridge". The Sanford Herald. Sanford, FL. May 9, 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
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. 
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