John Ringling Causeway

John Ringling Causeway
View of John Ringling Causeway in distance, overlooking Sarasota Bay facing northwest from recreational trail along Mound Street (US 41)
View of bridge and Sarasota Bay from the Sarasota Recreational Trail
Coordinates27°19′34″N 82°33′46″W / 27.3262°N 82.5628°W / 27.3262; -82.5628
Carries4 lanes of SR 789 and pedestrians
CrossesSarasota Bay
LocaleSarasota, Florida
Official nameJohn Ringling Causeway
Other name(s)
  • Ringling Bridge
  • Gil Waters Bridge
Named forJohn Ringling
OwnerFlorida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
ID number170176
Characteristics
DesignSegmental box girder bridge
MaterialConcrete
Total length3,097.04 ft (944 m)
Width106.35 ft (32 m)
Height65 ft (20 m)
No. of spans11
No. of lanes4
Design life75 years[1]
History
Constructed byPCL Construction[2]
Construction cost$20 million (1959 bridge)
$68 million (2003 bridge)
OpenedOriginal Causeway:
1925
Second Bridge:
1959
Current Bridge:
August 30, 2003
Statistics
Daily traffic33,000 (2014)
TollNone
Location
Map

John Ringling Causeway (also known as Ringling Bridge or Gil Waters Bridge[3]) is a causeway that extends past the Sarasota Bay, from Sarasota to St. Armands Key and Lido Key. The 65-foot-tall (20 m) bridge, built in 2003, is a segmental box girder bridge running from Sarasota to Bird Key. Another short bridge carries the causeway from Bird Key to Coon Key and St. Armand's Key. The causeway is named after John Ringling, one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus and resident of the Sarasota area.[4]

  1. ^ Wright, Cynthia (August 6, 2003). "Ringling Causeway Reconstruction Performs Center Stage in Sarasota". Construction Equipment Guide. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Cox, Billy (August 29, 2018). "Sarasota's Ringling Bridge divided a community 15 years ago". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "Ringling Bridge, Sarasota". Emporis. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ LaHurd, Jeff (July 31, 2008). "Controversy, thy name is Ringling Causeway Bridge". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved April 7, 2016.