The Dames Point Bridge (officially the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge) is a

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

over the St. Johns River in

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

on the Interstate 295 East Beltway. Construction began in 1985 and was completed in 1989. The main span is , and is high. The bridge was designed by HNTB Corporation and RS&H, Inc. The Massman Construction Company built the bridge.

Design

The bridge's cables are arranged on multiple vertical planes in a slight modification to the harp (parallel) stay arrangement. Main span cables are paired to anchor into the tower in a vertical plane while side span cables pair up to anchor in a horizontal plane such that four cables anchor in each tower at approximately the same elevation.

Superlatives

Until the 2003 completion of the

Sidney Lanier Bridge The Sidney Lanier Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Brunswick River in Brunswick, Georgia, carrying four lanes of U.S. Route 17. The current bridge was built as a replacement to the original vertical-lift bridge, which was twice ...

in Brunswick, Georgia, the Dames Point Bridge was the only bridge in the United States to feature the harp stay arrangement. It remains one of the largest

s in the United States, with of cable.

Gallery

Image:Northbound approaching Dames Point Bridge.jpg, The Dames Point Bridge, seen from northbound I-295 Image:Northbound on Dames Point Bridge.jpg, Northbound on the Dames Point Bridge. Image:Dames Point Bridge, Jacksonville FL Pano 2.jpg, The Dames Point Bridge Image:Dames point bridge jax march05.jpg, The Dames Point Bridge in 2005 Image:Dames Point Bridge - 17 June 2013.JPG, The Dames Point Bridge at Night - 2013

Accident

On May 15, 1989, while inspectors were checking the bridge for cracks and fissures, the boom arm holding a bucket snapped, leaving the bucket tilted on its side. One worker fell into the river below and the others were at risk of plummeting 145 feet down. The man in the river suffered a dislocated shoulder but was able to swim to safety. Rescuers rappelled down the side of the bridge to the other three workers and successfully brought them all to safety. The story of this rescue effort was aired on ''

Rescue 911 ''Rescue 911'' is an American informational docudrama television series that premiered on CBS on April 18, 1989, and ended on August 27, 1996. The series was hosted by William Shatner and featured reenactments (and occasionally real footage) of e ...

'' on September 12 of the same year.Shatner, William (host),
Rescue 911 - Episode 1.2 - Dames Point Bridge Rescue
" ''CBS.'' (Unauthorized YouTube video posted on 21 June 2011.)

References

External links