St._Johns_River_Veterans_Memorial_Bridge
St. Johns River Veterans Memorial Bridge
Bridge in Florida, United States of America
The original St. Johns River Bridge was a four-lane concrete-and-steel causeway bridge constructed over the St. Johns River at the west outlet of Lake Monroe. It is a part of Interstate 4, and spans the border between Seminole and Volusia Counties in Florida, United States. On the Seminole side is Sanford and on the Volusia side is DeBary.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
The bridge's design, which lacked shoulders for disabled or wrecked vehicles to pull out of the flow of traffic, made it a severe bottleneck for commuters going to the Orlando Area beginning in the 1980s. A series of fatal traffic collisions on it and similarly-designed bridges statewide, most notably the Interstate 75 Lake Panasoffkee Bridge, led to a move in 2000 to use state emergency bridge funds similar to the contingency funds used to rebuild the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to begin planned reconstruction. Work began in 2001, and a new dual structure consisting of two three-lane spans, each with wide shoulders on either side, was fully opened in May 2004.[1] The old bridge was dismantled over the next few months. Upon completion, the new structure was officially renamed the St. Johns River Veterans Memorial Bridge.
