Hernando DeSoto Bridge
View of Desoto Bridge from Bradenton Riverwalk
View of Desoto Bridge from Bradenton Riverwalk
Coordinates27°30′13″N 82°33′47″W / 27.503533°N 82.563088°W / 27.503533; -82.563088
Carries4 lanes of US 41 / US 301
CrossesManatee River
LocalePalmetto and Bradenton, Florida
Official nameHernando DeSoto Bridge
Other name(s)DeSoto Bridge
Named forHernando de Soto
OwnerFDOT
Maintained byFDOT
ID number130053
Characteristics
DesignGirder
MaterialConcrete, steel
Total length2,334.4 ft (712 m)
Width62 ft (19 m)
Longest span105 ft (32 m)
No. of spans33
Load limit65 short tons (59.0 t)
Clearance below40 ft (12 m)
No. of lanes4
History
Opened1957 (1957)
Statistics
Daily traffic66,500 (2018)[1]
TollNone
Location

The Hernando Desoto Bridge is a bridge carrying U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and US 301 over the Manatee River between Palmetto and Bradenton, Florida. The Desoto Bridge is 40 feet (12 m) tall and carries four lanes. It is one of two bridges connecting Bradenton and Palmetto.[2] The other is the Green Bridge located approximately one-half of a mile (0.80 km) 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 (part of which has become a fishing pier after the Green Bridge was replaced in 1986).[3][4]

Future

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is evaluating several options on replacing the bridge to increase its traffic capacity.[5] 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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Florida Bridge Information – 2018 4th Quarter" (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation. October 1, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  2. ↑ "US-41/US-301 over Manatee River 2nd St E". National Bridge Inventory data. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Green Bridge Fishing Pier". Bradenton Gulf Islands. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Business US-41 (SR-45) over Manatee River". National Bridge Inventory data. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  5. ↑ White, Dale (December 14, 2018). "DeSoto Bridge, River Road highlight transportation priorities". Herald Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2019.


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