St Augustine Bridge of Lions (#0484)

St Augustine Bridge of Lions. It was always a gorgeous view, but given that I hadn’t been in St. Augustine for 20 years or more, I was surprised to see that it looked as good as I remembered. It turns out to have a more interesting history than I knew.

The bridge crosses Matanzas River to Anastasia Island, a barrier island east of St. Augustine. Like so much of Florida, the bridge was planned as part of a scheme for housing development on the north end of the island, though the bridge was completed (in 1927) just as that scheme collapsed. But, like so many of Florida’s multiple land booms, the development did eventually happen.

Part of what makes the bridge important is that it carries Florida route A1A, which is almost as much of an epitome of Florida as California’s route 1. A1A runs from the northern tip of the state in Fernandina, all the way to the southern tip at Key West. For long stretches the road is the first pavement in from the ocean (and thus washed out in hurricanes), and it is the address of very many famous resorts including such overly ostentatious resorts as Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.

Due to the bridge’s age, a major reconstruction of is was begun in 1999 and lasted for five years, leaving the bridge much as it originally appeared. See adjacent pictures.

Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_Lions
www.visitstaugustine.com/venue/bridge-lions

(Part of a photo-essay series on personal history and race, with keyword FlaAla0518)