The causeway was built parallel to the now abandoned Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railway bridges
The Boca Grande Causeway originally opened in 1958 after six years of construction, replacing a vehicle ferry service. The causeway and its original bridges were built parallel to the now abandoned Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway. Passenger rail service to the island was discontinued by the railroad shortly after the causeway opened. While the railroad was abandoned in 1981, the adjacent trestles remain mostly intact today and are visible from the causeway.[1]
The Causeway was privately built, but was sold to the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority, a government agency created to oversee operation of the causeway, in 1998.[2] The northernmost bridge (connecting to the mainland) includes a 213-foot (65 m) swing span over the navigation channel. The swing bridge, which is one of a few remaining swing bridges in Florida, is 13 feet (4.0 m) tall at its highest point. The center and south bridges are fixed span bridges, and are 25 feet (7.6 m) and 12 feet (3.7 m) tall respectively.[3]
The current center and south bridges were completed in 2013.[4][5] The current swing bridge was completed and opened to traffic in late 2015. The original bridges were replaced due to their age and functional obsolescence. The current bridges are taller and also include shoulders for bicycle traffic allowing improved access for bicyclists using the popular Boca Grande Bike Path better access to the mainland and to the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail.[6]
Gallery
The north (swing) bridge
The south bridge
The center bridge
The original swing bridge which operated from 1958 to 2015
Gasparilla Sound and the defunct railroad trestle as seen from the center bridge
The current swing bridge with the original behind it prior to demolition
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