Osteen Bridge

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.

Osteen Bridge
Coordinates28.8026°N 81.2102°W / 28.8026; -81.2102
Carries SR 415
(4 general purpose lanes)
CrossesSt. Johns River
LocaleIndian Mound Village, Florida
Official nameDouglas Stenstrom Bridge
Maintained byFlorida Department of Transportation
ID number790124
790219
Characteristics
DesignSteel-reinforced concrete
Total length2,426 feet (739 m)
Clearance below24 feet (7.3 m)
History
OpenedApril 1977
Location

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] A second parallel bridge was completed in 2015 to support the widening of SR 415 to 2 lanes in each direction.[10]

References
Citations
  1. Weber, Dave (September 14, 1976). "Osteen Bridge Work On Time". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 2B. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  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. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  10. Harper, Mark (November 12, 2013). "S.R. 415 widening project makes progress". Daytona Beach News-Journal.
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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