Swing Bridge - Fort Denaud, Florida
Posted by: 
BoomersOTR
N 26° 44.730 W 081° 30.632
17R E 449233 N 2958349
A relocated bridge near LaBelle, Florida crossing the Caloosahatchee River.
Waymark Code: WMZ052
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 08/18/2018
Views: 1
The Fort Denaud Bridge is a vital link between residents and agricultural operations on both sides of the Caloosahatchee River. The existing bridge was previously used on the Intercoastal Waterway in Pompano Beach and was moved to its current location to replace a bridge that had been located a few yards upstream but had been condemned and removed in the early 1960's.
The Powell Brothers Construction Company of Fort Lauderdale, established by former Champion Bridge Company engineer Hugh Quinn, built the structure in 1940. The State Road Department dismantled the bridge in 1958 and re-erected it at its present location. New construction began in 1963 and was soon completed to open the Fort Denaud Bridge for use.
The bridge consists of five prestressed concrete slab approach spans, with a low concrete railing. The spans are joined to a 132 foot long Warren pony swing span on a rim-bearing pivot. Total length of this bridge is 435 feet.
The structure was rehabilitated in 1987. The most important alteration during the rehabilitation was the addition of shallow cable stay supports along the top chords of the truss.
It is located near the site of the first outpost of U.S. Civilization in Southwest Florida and named for Pierre Denaud, a French Canadian trapper who trapped, hunted and traded in the area during the 1830's. The bridge and its current approach stands were put into place at mile 108.2 along route 78A in the early '60's and there it has remained to become one of the remaining swing bridges in the state of Florida's extensive waterway system.
Data from: (
visit link)
(
visit link)