Florida Avenue Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Florida Avenue Bridge |
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Florida Avenue Bridge in up position (open to canal shipping, closed to land vehicle traffic), from Lower 9th Ward side.
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| Coordinates | 29°58′52″N 90°01′18″W / 29.981°N 90.0218°W |
| Carries | trains, cars |
| Crosses | Industrial Canal |
| Locale | New Orleans |
| Maintained by | Port of New Orleans |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | vertical lift |
| Longest span | 91.5 meters (300 ft) |
| Clearance below | 47.5 meters (156 ft) |
The Florida Avenue Bridge is a special kind of bridge called a vertical lift bridge. It goes over the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana. This bridge has one railroad track, two lanes for cars, and two sidewalks for people to walk on. There are plans to build another bridge next to it just for cars.
History of the Florida Avenue Bridge
The Florida Avenue Bridge gets its name from Florida Avenue. This road used to be called Florida Walk and ran alongside the Florida Canal.
In the 1920s, the Port of New Orleans built four bridges. They needed these bridges to help trains cross the Inner Harbor-Navigational Canal, which people in New Orleans call the Industrial Canal. Three of those original four bridges are still used today: the St. Claude Avenue, Almonaster Avenue, and Seabrook bridges. The St. Claude Bridge no longer carries trains, but the Almonaster and Seabrook bridges are still only for trains.
The first Florida Avenue Bridge was taken down in 2000. It was removed because it was getting in the way of boats. A new, modern steel bridge was built in its place. This new bridge was finished in May 2005. It was designed by a company called Modjeski and Masters, Inc. American Bridge built it. The whole project cost about $47 million. Most of the money for the new bridge came from the United States Coast Guard.
About the Current Bridge
The new Florida Avenue Bridge is quite tall. When it is fully raised, it gives boats 156 feet (47.5 m) of space to pass underneath. When the bridge is lowered, there is less than five feet of space above the water. This means boats can only pass when the bridge is lifted up.
Many boats use the canal where the bridge is located. Most of them are towboats pulling barges. They travel from the Mississippi River, go through a special lock, and then head east along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Because it's a lift bridge, it can move up high enough for even large ships to pass through.
The bridge has needed repairs a few times. It was damaged by flooding from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It flooded again during Hurricane Gustav in 2008. The Port of New Orleans manages this bridge and three others on the Inner Harbor-Navigational Canal.
Future Plans for a New Bridge
There are plans to build another bridge right next to the current Florida Avenue Bridge. This new bridge would be just for cars and would have four lanes. It would be built by the Louisiana State Department of Transportation and Development.
The design for this new bridge is already underway. However, building it has been put on hold by the State of Louisiana. This is because there are not enough funds available for the project right now.
- Florida Avenue Bridge in the Structurae database
