The Venetian Causeway crosses Biscayne Bay between

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

on the mainland and Miami Beach on a barrier island in the

Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area is a coastal metropolitan area in southeastern Florida. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the lar ...

. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

portions of the causeway were created by materials which came from the dredging of the bay. The Venetian Causeway follows the original route of the Collins Bridge, a wooden long structure built in 1913 by John S. Collins and Carl G. Fisher which opened up the barrier island for unprecedented growth and development. The causeway has one toll plaza (administered by the Miami-Dade County Public Works department) on Biscayne Island, the westernmost Venetian Island. The toll for an automobile is US$3.00. The causeway has two

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

s. At the Downtown/Western Beginning of the causeway travelers are greeted by two columns vertically saying "VENETIAN WAY" along with a sign indicating that there is a weight limit . At the South Beach/Eastern Terminus, drivers must choose whether to go north onto Dade Boulevard or eastbound onto 17th Street to Ocean Drive, Collins Ave/A1A, Lincoln Road, City Hall, The Convention Center, Jackie Gleason Theater and the beach . The Venetian Causeway was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It was re-dedicated in 1999 after the completion of a $29 million restoration and replacement project. In 2023

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...

initiated a plan to replace the 11 original bridges along the causeway with higher structures. A popular use of the causeway is for exercising, including both jogging and bicycling. Thoroughbred racehorse Venetian Way, best known for winning the 1960 Kentucky Derby, was named after the causeway.

Gallery

Image:Venetian Causeway South Beach.jpg, View of the Venetian Causeway and islands with South Beach in the background, as seen from the 1800 Club in Downtown Miami File:Venetian Causeway west drawbridge viewed from MacArthur Causeway (2014).jpg, The westernmost of the two drawbridges on the causeway, with its draw span opened for a boat File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 06.jpg, View from water level towards Miami Beach File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 05.jpg, View towards Miami Beach File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 09.jpg, The Venetian Causeway viewed from former site of The Miami Herald File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 01.jpg, Entrance to Venetian Causeway from Miami side File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 02.jpg, Column with Sign File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 10.jpg, Bridge detail, lamps and railing File:Venetian Causeway - Miami Entrance 03.jpg, Entrance to Venetian Causeway with Columns view towards southeast

References

External links

New York Times Article (March 21, 2008): ''Islands of Calm ''
{{Crossings navbox , structure= Crossings , place= Biscayne Bay , bridge= Venetian Causeway , bridge signs= , upstream text= North , upstream= Julia Tuttle Causeway , upstream signs= , downstream text= South , downstream= MacArthur Causeway , downstream signs= Toll bridges in Florida Roads in Miami Roads in Miami Beach, Florida Roads in Miami-Dade County, Florida Causeways in Miami-Dade County, Florida Intracoastal Waterway Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Miami-Dade County, Florida Bridges completed in 1913 Drawbridges on the National Register of Historic Places 1913 establishments in Florida Concrete bridges in the United States Bascule bridges in the United States

See also

Gallery

References

External links