Gilchrist Bridge - Punta Gorda, FL
Posted by: 
rogueblack
N 26° 55.817 W 082° 03.584
17R E 394790 N 2979154
The Gilchrist Bridge stretches over the Charlotte Harbor, uniting Charlotte County and providing safe passage for travelers.
Waymark Code: WM5PKY
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/30/2009
Views: 10
The first bridge was named aptly the Charlotte Harbor Bridge and was constructed in 1921 using sand-based concrete and brackish bay water. The increase in automobile traffic from the Tamiami Trail expansion in 1928 began to rapidly tear the bridge apart.
An industrious man named Barron Collier had purchased the famous Hotel Punta Gorda, the choice accommodations for U.S. presidents and many celebrities and dignitaries of the age, and renovated it to revive tourism. Collier sought to do the same with the Charlotte Harbor Bridge. In 1931, he'd accomplished exactly that and opened the new Charlotte Harbor Bridge. It happened to travel immediately past the Hotel Punta Gorda.
1960 brought a nasty hurricane that ate the Charlotte Harbor Bridge. It took a few years of evaluations and failed attempts at patching it up before a new bridge was built in 1976. The remains of the old bridge were crumbled into the reef below.
A second portion of the bridge was constructed and opened in 1983, named after Former Florida Governor Gilchrist, who was an instrumental figure in developing the area during its pioneering age. The eastern portion was designated for northbound traffic and the western portion was designated for southbound traffic.
The view in this photo is the Gilchrist Bridge with travelers heading from Charlotte Harbor Town into Punta Gorda. Just beyond it is the Charlotte Harbor Bridge.
Visitors will come west along Retta Esplande to the Punta Gorda Boat Club. The coordinates will take visitors to the viewing point from the Punta Gorda Boat Club parking lot.
Best Viewing Times: From: 7:00 PM To: 10:00 PM
Feature Type: Artificial
Parking or Trailhead: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please post a quality photo of the view. You can include yourself, and it's OK if your GPS is in the photo (example, wearing it around your neck).
Blurry, or grainy/noisy images will be rejected. You will probably need a tripod and we don't recommend the use of a camera phone