Shands Bridge


The Shands Bridge is a two-lane automobile bridge carrying SR 16 over the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville, Florida.

History

The first structure at the site was a 2-mile-long wooden toll span with a draw bridge inaugurated in 1928. It was located just north of the current span, crossing from Orangedale to the present Shands pier on the west side of the river. The current bridge was dedicated on October 30, 1963, and features concrete beam-type construction for a total of two lanes. Until the building of the I-295 Buckman Bridge it was the only crossing of the St. Johns River between Jacksonville and Palatka.
In 2004, proposals were made to replace or upgrade the span. Problems cited include increasing traffic in the Clay County and St. Johns County areas, safety, and the inability of large boats to travel upriver. One plan proposed a new bridge north of the existing one, connecting to extensions of SR 9B and SR 23. Eventually a planned span just to the south was selected. In the fall of 2005, the railings of the bridge were upgraded to solid concrete barriers in an effort to reduce over-bridge fatalities.
On October 7, 2016, the eastern approach to the bridge was eroded by Hurricane Matthew, and the bridge was closed. However, the bridge reopened on October 9, 2016.

First Coast Expressway Replacement

The third and final segment of the First Coast Expressway includes a new four-lane bridge over the St. Johns River just south of where the Shands Bridge currently stands, as well as construction of new roadway connecting to I-95 in St. Johns County. Right-of-way acquisition, design and permitting for this $763 million segment is expected to be completed in 2020, with construction beginning in 2025 and ending in 2030. The current bridge will be partially removed. The vertical clearance height of the new bridge will be 65 feet from the water line, compared to the existing 45 feet of clearance. The additional 20 feet will match the clearance of the Buckman Bridge to the north and Palatka's Memorial Bridge to the south and is an improvement for marine commerce in the region. In addition to the four lanes of traffic, the new bridge will also include street lighting, full breakdown lanes on both sides of the roadway in each direction, as well as a 12-foot wide shared-use path with several scenic overlooks, compared to the current bridge which has no street lighting or pedestrian path and only one lane of traffic in each direction surrounded by narrow shoulders.