Mathews Bridge

Mathews Bridge
Official name	John E. Mathews Bridge
Carries	Alternate US 90 (four general purpose lanes)
Crosses	St. Johns River
Locale	Jacksonville, Florida
Maintained by	Florida Department of Transportation
ID number	720076
Design	steel through truss bridge
Total length	2248.2 meters (7736 feet)
Width	17.7 meters (58 feet)
Longest span	246.9 meters (810 feet)
Vertical clearance	6.80 meters (22.3 feet)
Clearance below	46.3 meters (152 feet)
Opened	April 15, 1953; 58 years ago (April 15, 1953)
Coordinates	30°19′37″N 81°37′05″W / 30.327°N 81.618°W / 30.327; -81.618Coordinates: 30°19′37″N 81°37′05″W / 30.327°N 81.618°W / 30.327; -81.618

The Mathews Bridge is a truss bridge in Jacksonville, Florida, which spans the St. Johns River. Constructed in 1953, the bridge brings traffic along the Arlington Expressway between downtown Jacksonville and the Arlington neighborhood. It was named after John E. Mathews, a Florida state legislator and Chief Justice of the 1955 Florida Supreme Court who helped gather funding for the bridge's construction.^[1] Originally silver in color, the bridge was painted maroon in 1984 in celebration of Jacksonville's United States Football League franchise, the Jacksonville Bulls.

Deck replacement

This 12.9 million dollar project replaced the existing open grate bridge deck previously on Mathews Bridge with an "Exodermic Deck" resulting in a concrete riding surface.

The bridge had a notoriously problematic grating in the center span. After the previous grating wore out, a new one was installed, causing drivers to complain that the replacement was slippery and difficult to cross. That grating was replaced with a new, "state of the art" grating, which also provoked controversy causing citizens to pressure the Jacksonville City Council to act again concerning the grating. This initially only resulted in reducing the speed limit and roughing up the grating. In 2007, the bridge underwent construction to replace the open grating over the center span with a concrete riding surface, and has since been reopened for public use.

Gallery

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  Eastbound on the Mathews Bridge

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  A shot looking below the Mathews Bridge

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  Picture of the Mathews Bridge from across the water.

Popular Culture

The bridge is mentioned in the Limp Bizkit song My Generation. In singer Fred Durst's opening monologue, he invites drummer John Otto to "Take 'em to the Mathews Bridge", preceding the latter's drum solo.

References

External links

• Official Deck Replacement Project Website
• Local news article on the Mathews Bridge
• Official Site of the Mathews Bridge

Crossings of the St. Johns River Upstream Hart Bridge Mathews Bridge Downstream Dames Point Bridge

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