John Ringling Causeway

John Ringling Causeway (also known as Ringling Bridge or Gil Waters Bridge[3]) is a causeway that extends past the Sarasota Bay, from Sarasota to St. Armands Key and Lido Key. The 65-foot-tall (20 m) bridge, built in 2003, is a segmental box girder bridge running from Sarasota to Bird Key. Another short bridge carries the causeway from Bird Key to Coon Key and St. Armand's Key. The causeway is named after John Ringling, one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus and resident of the Sarasota area.[4]

John Ringling Causeway
View of John Ringling Causeway in distance, overlooking Sarasota Bay facing northwest from recreational trail along Mound Street (US 41)
View of bridge and Sarasota Bay from the Sarasota Recreational Trail
Coordinates27°19′34″N 82°33′46″W / 27.3262°N 82.5628°W / 27.3262; -82.5628
Carries4 lanes of SR 789 and pedestrians
CrossesSarasota Bay
LocaleSarasota, Florida
Official nameJohn Ringling Causeway
Other name(s)
  • Ringling Bridge
  • Gil Waters Bridge
Named forJohn Ringling
OwnerFlorida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
ID number170176
Characteristics
DesignSegmental box girder bridge
MaterialConcrete
Total length3,097.04 ft (944 m)
Width106.35 ft (32 m)
Height65 ft (20 m)
No. of spans11
No. of lanes4
Design life75 years[1]
History
Constructed byPCL Construction[2]
Construction cost$20 million (1959 bridge)
$68 million (2003 bridge)
OpenedOriginal Causeway:
1925
Second Bridge:
1959
Current Bridge:
August 30, 2003
Statistics
Daily traffic33,000 (2014)
TollNone
Location
Map

History

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Original Ringling Causeway in 1946

The causeway and its original bridge were built in 1925 by John Ringling, who owned large tracts of land on both Lido and Longboat Keys. Ringling wanted to develop the islands and financed the cost of the bridge at the cost of approximately $750,000, equivalent to $13 million in 2023[5], to connect the islands with the mainland.[6] The ornate bridge opened for traffic on February 7, 1926. It was labeled "one of the greatest engineering accomplishments in the South” by the Sarasota Herald, which also proclaimed, “There are no words adequate with which to express our appreciation.”[4][7] The original bridge began at the south end of Golden Gate Point in Sarasota.[8] Ringling donated the bridge to the city in 1927.

 
Original 1925 bridge (left) and its replacement under construction (right) in 1958

Around 1950, the first bridge began to show that it could not adequately handle increasing traffic to the islands. In 1951, the State Road Department opted to replace the original bridge with a four-lane drawbridge, which was completed and opened to traffic in 1959. The four-lane drawbridge was 20 feet tall and was built connecting directly connecting to Gulf Stream Avenue in Sarasota, about a quarter of a mile north of the original bridge. The bridge from Bird Key to St. Armand's Key was replaced a year prior with the set of bridges carrying four lanes, which are still in service.[9][10] The drawbridge was built for $20 million, and the original bridge was demolished.

 
1959 bascule bridge with the current bridge under construction

Around 2000, the 1959 drawbridge began to suffer the same fate as its predecessor. With the drawbridge opening as many as 18 times a day, it was unable to handle increasing amounts of traffic to the islands. To remedy the situation, construction began on the current high-span bridge in 2001.[1] The 65-foot (20 m) tall bridge opened for traffic in 2003 for $68 million. Landscaping around the bridge was financed by private donors.[7]

Color-changing LED lighting was added to the bridge in 2019.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b Wright, Cynthia (August 6, 2003). "Ringling Causeway Reconstruction Performs Center Stage in Sarasota". Construction Equipment Guide. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Cox, Billy (August 29, 2018). "Sarasota's Ringling Bridge divided a community 15 years ago". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "Ringling Bridge, Sarasota". Emporis. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ a b LaHurd, Jeff (July 31, 2008). "Controversy, thy name is Ringling Causeway Bridge". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  5. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023), "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?", MeasuringWorth, retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  6. ^ Lahurd, Jeff (August 17, 2014). "Sarasota's Ringling Bridge was always a symbol of city progress". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Papini, Michelle. "The Remarkable History of John Ringling Causeway". Bird Key Real Estate. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  8. ^ "Sarasota, 1936" (PDF). Florida Center for Instructional Technology. University of South Florida. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "SR-789 NB over COON KEY WATERWAY". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  10. ^ "SR-789 SB over COON KEY WATERWAY". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  11. ^ Adams, Rick (25 September 2019). "Ringling Bridge to showcase new, colorful lighting". WWSB. Retrieved 13 July 2024.