History
Prior to 1970, travel across the St. Johns River from Orange Park to Mandarin was a journey. One route involved driving north to downtown Jacksonville, crossing the Fuller Warren Bridge, then driving south, a distance of nearly 30 miles and an hour of travel time. The alternative was to drive south to Green Cove Springs and across the wooden planks of the Shands Bridge, almost twice the distance of the northern route.
The first public hearing was held in July, 1963 and after intense discussion regarding the placement of the structure, the decision was made in April, 1964 to place the bridge in Duval County, just north of the Clay County line. Construction began, but the first concrete pilings exploded days after they were poured. Investigation revealed that the heat generated from the curing concrete increased Anaerobic digestion by bacteria in the brackish water and generated methane gas. The engineers were forced to change their construction method.
Read more about this topic: Buckman Bridge
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