Collins Bridge

Collins Bridge
The opening of Collins Bridge, circa 1913.
Crosses	Biscayne Bay
Locale	Miami to Miami Beach
Design	Wooden truss
Total length	2.5 miles (4.0 km)
Opened	1913
Followed by	Venetian Causeway
Closed	1925
Coordinates	25°47′21.18″N 80°11′20.77″W / 25.7892167°N 80.1891028°W / 25.7892167; -80.1891028Coordinates: 25°47′21.18″N 80°11′20.77″W / 25.7892167°N 80.1891028°W / 25.7892167; -80.1891028

The Collins Bridge was a bridge that crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. It was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins (1837–1928) with financial assistance from automotive parts and racing pioneer Carl G. Fisher. Fisher, an auto parts magnate, loaned Collins $50,000 in 1911 ($1.2 million, adjusted for current inflation) to complete the bridge when Collins' money ran out.^[1] Collins, then 75 years old, traded Fisher 200 acres of land on Miami Beach for the loan. The 2½ mile wooden toll bridge opened on June 12, 1913,^[2] providing a critical link to the newly established Miami Beach, formerly accessible only by a ferry service. The middle of the bridge had a steel lattice truss design, while the ends were primarily wooden, as well as the deck being wooden for the entire length.^[3]

The original wooden causeway was replaced in 1925 by a series of arch drawbridges and renamed the Venetian Causeway.

References

1. ^ http://funandsun.com/1tocf/allgosf/mbf/collinsave.html
2. ^ http://www.miamibeach411.com/History/photo_collins_bridge_1.html
3. ^ http://scholar.library.miami.edu/miamidigital/search/allGalleryPages.php?IDtitle=1119&objNo=000151&seqNo=0001&IDmainrecord=330

External links

• Historical information