Billy's Creek Bridge
Billy's Creek Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 26°39′06″N 81°51′24″W / 26.6517°N 81.8567°W |
| Carries | First Street/Palm Beach Boulevard |
| Crosses | Billy's Creek |
| Locale | Fort Myers, Florida |
| Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Vertical-lift bridge |
| History | |
| Opened | 1941 |
| Location | |
Interactive map of Billy's Creek Bridge | |
The Billy's Creek Bridge is a historic vertical-lift bridge located just east of downtown Fort Myers, Florida. It carries a road previously part of State Road 80 (known as Palm Beach Boulevard on the west side and First Street on the east side) across Billy's Creek.
The bridge was built in 1941. As a vertical lift bridge, it has four short towers that house the lift mechanisms, which is a unique design for lift bridges. The bridge has the distinction of being both the smallest vertical lift bridge in Florida and the only hydraulically-powered vertical lift bridge in Florida.[1] The lift has not been operational since 1987. The bridge was rehabilitated in 2013.[2]
The road and bridge carried westbound traffic only from the late 1980s until 2023.[3][4] While the road crossing the bridge is now under city control, the bridge is still maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation.[5]
References
- ^ "The Historic Highway Bridges of Florida" (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation Environmental Management Office. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "State Road 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard)" (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ Levy, Gail (June 16, 2022). "Fort Myers' First St and Palm Beach Blvd two-way conversion complete". WINK-TV. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ "First and Second Street Two-Way Traffic Conversion Project". City of Fort Myers. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ Transportation and Data Analytics Office (February 15, 2021). "Straight Line Diagram of Road Inventory". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 26, 2021.