Southeast 17th Street Causeway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida:  E.C. Driver designed a new twin double leaf bascule bridge designated as the “Gateway to Fort Lauderdale”. The new bridge greatly alleviated congestion for both vehicular and boat traffic and accomplished many of the Department of Transportation’s goals.

The old bridge had only twenty-two feet of vertical clearance over the waterway. The bridge opened every half hour for twelve to fifteen minutes to clear marine traffic resulting in traffic back-ups.  The new bascule bridge provides fifty-five feet of vertical clearance, reducing the number of openings to one every hour for approximately five minutes.

The twin structures are each fifty-four feet wide and are separated by a thirteen foot wide open median. The bascule leaves span 210 feet between the centerlines of the trunnions. The design of the bridge involved man significant innovative features.

Perhaps the most significant innovation was the development of the “carina” pier. This was the first use of a V-shaped pier on a bascule bridge and provides less restricted views of the water and improves the overall proportions of the structure. 

Client: Florida DOT, District Four
Construction Cost: $ 70,000,000
Completion Date: March 2001