MacArthur Causeway
| Bridge Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Miami, Florida |
| Bridge Type | AASHTO Bulb "T" |
| Supports/Materials | Slabs and Girders |
| Owner | Florida Department of Transportation |
| Completion Date | Drawbridge - 1925 or 1926 , High bridge - January 7th, 1997 |
| Status | IN USE |
| Construction | |
| Contractor | American Bridge Company |
| Engineering | Frederic R. Harris, Inc |
| Contract Value | $42,047,000 |
| Dimensions | |
| Mainspan | 145 Feet/44.2 Meters |
| Height | 68 Feet/20.7 Meters |
| Total Length | 2466 Feet/751.6 Meters |
Photo: Marc Averette
The MacArthur Causeway is a six lane highway that links downtown Miami, Florida with the city of Miami Beach. The roadway (State Road A1A) crosses the Biscayne Bay south of the Venetian Causeway and north of the Port of Miami. Along the way it passes along and over several islands, including Watson Island, Palm Island, Hibiscus Island, Star Island, and an unnamed island formed by the fill from dredging a channel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Port. The dock of the Fisher Island Ferry and an intersection with Alton Road (SR 907) mark the eastern end of the causeway. Adjacent to the Miami Herald building, the western end leads to Interstate 395 and the Dolphin Expressway.
History
The causeway was originally built in 1925 or 1926 . It had a drawbridge at it's west end . As you can guess , since the bridge is old that makes it obsolete . That is the same reason the Venetian Causeway was rehabilitated and that the US 441 Miami River Bridge has been closed and knocked down to be replaced . Also the same reason a weight limit has been put on the 17th Ave Bridge . The bridge could have been easily replaced by another drawbridge easily but the people of Miami are getting tired of waiting for drawbridges for no reason . The new bridge was opened in 1997 . The new bridge provides a more "express" trip from the Dolphin Expressway/I-395 . In the 1950s US-94 was decomissioned and US-41 was extended along it's route . US-94 was the Tamiami Trail from Naples to US-1 in Miami , but US-41 was extended to A1A in Miami Beach by a concurrency with US-1 and sharing the causeway with A1A . In 1999 the concurrency was removed and the end was moved back to the original US-94 ending at 8th Street and Brickell Ave in the Brickell section of Miami . There have been no changes to the path of the causeway except the new bridge being built . Miami has plans to use part of the old Florida East Coast Railway's right-of-way from Nw 79th Street to Downtown for a streetcar line and to put streetcar service down Biscayne Boulevard from Downtown to 79th St as well . This is part of a new streetcar line called "Baylink" To connect Miami to Miami Beach . Plans include to use the Macarthur Causeway for this .
Lighting Design
The causeway is illuminated at night by a stunning design by Robert Daniels of Brilliant Lighting Design of Miami. The work has received awards such as the GE Edison International Award of Exellence in 1999 and the IESNA International IIDA Award of Merit in 2000.
References
- Florida, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, 2004, pg. 15
- MacArthur Causeway in the Structurae database, 2006
- American Bridge Company, http://www.americanbridge.net/projects/struct/detail.php?jobnum=63002, 2006
- Brilliant Lighting Design, http://www.brilliantlightingdesign.com/about_history, 2006
| Crossings of the Biscayne Bay | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| North Venetian Causeway |
MacArthur
Causeway  |
South Port Boulevard  |
|
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