The Bridge Connection

Alligator River Swing Bridge

Children sing of London’s bridges falling down.  Simon and Garfunkle sang about a bridge over troubled water and Frank Sinatra crooned over the Brooklyn Bridge.  Pierre Boulle wrote about the bridge over the River Kwai, a notorious bridge that allowed transport of Japanese munitions during World War II.   Both in literature and song, the focus on bridges whether literal or figurative have played a part in life and history.

Bridges take many forms.  There are twin bridges, arch bridges, swing bridges, bascule bridges, lift, and even pontoon bridges.  On Imagine we love the fixed 65-foot bridges that allow us to travel down the Eastern seaboard without an interruption of our trip.  

The open on demand bridges come in second. However there are many places where bridges  open only on the hour or half hour.   These bridges are often closed completely for two hours each morning and afternoon for commuter traffic.

Alligator River Swing Bridge Open

Not getting started early enough, or planning correctly, can result in a lot of circling with other boats waiting for a bridge to open.  Imagine always opts for going offshore after Lake Worth when heading south.  The next leg would include 22 opening bridges over the 36 mile Intra Coastal Waterway between there and Fort Lauderdale.  That is too many bridges for me.

Overall Florida boasts 11,451 bridges according the U.S. Department of Transportation.  That’s a long way from the 48,492 bridges that intersect and connect Texas, the state that ranks first in the nation for bridge count.  Ohio comes in behind Texas with 27,901 bridges.   New Jersey’s bridges number 6,377.  The total number of bridges crisscrossing the United States exceeds a half million at 590,111.  

I love watching the bridges open.  From the water we listen for the deep honk of a horn blowing to warn traffic that the bridge will be closing soon.   Lights stop traffic and rails lower on the road span above.   After a few moments the opening section begins to lift or swing, in the bridge is a swing bridge.   When the light turns green Imagine slowly begins to cross under and through the bridge opening.  Once through Imagine hails the bridge tender with. “Imagine clear. Thank you for the opening.”  Most tenders come back with, “Have a great winter, or enjoy your trip.” 

Then, as in life, there is the occasional individual who just is not having a wonderful day.   One tender on a bascule bridge, scheduled to be opened, on demand, yelled that he would open when he could.  Imagine circled. The tender took his time.  The delay made it impossible for us to make the next bridge where we would wait a half hour for the next opening.   Ed generously thanked the dispirited tender for the opening and did not receive a reply.   I guess everyone is entitled to a bad day.

East coast Florida bridges behind us, Imagine heads offshore for the 31 hour, 218-nautical mile trek to Marathon in the Florida Keys.   Passing Hallendale, Fort Lauderdale and Miami about five miles offshore, fireworks light up the nighttime skyline high above the lights along the shore. A brisk 17-knot east wind makes for a great sail as Imagine enters Hawk Channel. The radar glows with yellow ovals detecting the ships moving in and out of Miami harbor.   

Morning breaks as Imagine passes Key Largo and Rodgriquez Key.  Lobster pots bounce in the aquamarine waters.  On shore I try to count the bridges that join the Florida Keys like links in a bracelet.  Quickly I lose count.  I later read that there are 42 bridges connecting the keys.  There is no mistaking the Seven Mile Bridge.  It is probably the most famous bridge in Florida connecting Marathon’s Knights Key to Little Duck Key.

The original bridge was constructed from 1909 to 1912 under the direction of Henry Flagler as part of the Florida East Coast Railways Key West Extension.  It was sometimes called the Overseas Railroad.  The Seven Mile Bridge withstood all hurricanes including the one in 1935 that washed away the railroad and many lives.   This old bridge continue to provide a link for another 40 plus years until a new bridge running parallel to the old one was completed in 1982.   The new bridge includes a 65-foot span that made the use of a drawbridge over Moser Channel obsolete.

It doesn’t matter which way one crosses a bridge.  Bridges make our lives easier. They have become idioms that we use in everyday language.  One can burn bridges, bridge the gap, mend a bridge, let the water go under the bridge, and cross that bridge when we get to it.   As for the bridge tender having a bad day, perhaps he can build a bridge and get over whatever is bothering him.