Hernando de Soto Bridge (Florida)

The Hernando Desoto Bridge is a bridge carrying U.S. Highway 41 and US 301 over the Manatee River between Palmetto and Bradenton, Florida. The Desoto Bridge is tall and carries four lanes. It is one of two bridges connecting Bradenton and Palmetto. The other is the Green Bridge located approximately downstream.

History

The Desoto Bridge was built in 1957 in an effort to realign US 41 and US 301 through Bradenton and Palmetto. Prior to 1957, those routes crossed the Manatee River a short distance downstream on the original Green Bridge.

Florida Department of Transportation is evaluating several options on replacing the bridge to increase its traffic capacity. More than one-third of vehicles crossing the bridge is pass-through traffic, drivers who do not have the cities of Bradenton or Palmetto as a point of origin or destination.