We crossed this beautiful bridge several times while on our road trip to Jacksonville from Miami. We stayed in Jacksonville for 3 nights and were exploring the city as much as possible. We loved that the Main St Bridge turned a brilliant blue at night! You could see it for miles. We found that the best picture taking was located by the Hyatt Regency. There was easy parking and very little traffic to make it safe while standing in the street and photographing the bridge. I can just imagine the views from the hotel windows of the bridge and the city skyline! read more

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Gorgeous bridge and easy/felt safe to walk over! While we were on it, however, the alarms starting blaring and we were told a boat was coming that they'd need to raise the bridge for... so we RAN across!!! We didn't feel unsafe or anything, but it was certainly a jump scare, haha! read more

Officially the John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge when it was named in 1957, it carries US-1 and US-90 over the St. John's River near downtown Jacksonville Florida. It was named after the mayor who served from 1923 to 1937 and again from 1941 to 1945. It opened to traffic in 1941. It is a vertical lift bridge and has four lanes for traffic and pedestrian walkways on each side and a fantastic view of the city skyline. A little spooky for me in the Sprinter van as there is only a double-yellow line between the traffic. It is the only moveable bridge carrying vehicles over the river in the Jacksonville area. There is no toll to cross the bridge. [Review 19317 overall - 1664 in Florida - 287 of 2023.] read more

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Main Street Bridge is a pretty cool bridge and I guess if I had to be stuck waiting for the bridge to lower as it was raised to accommodate a passing boat on the rivet. It is an aesthetically pleasing bridge and while I was temporarily halted, it was not a long delay and hey, there are worse things in the world. The Main Street Bridge adds a lovely aesthetical to the area and it is really something to behold in the evening. All in all, the Main Street Bridge is a cool part of Jacksonville and just adds to Jacksonville's overall personality. I will give the Main Street Bridge five stars overall for adding to the overall positive vibe of Jacksonville, Florida. read more

Main St. Bridge - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Not to be confused with the Mane St Beard, which is something that many lions have, if not all lions. Beautiful iconic blue bridge in the heart of pretty little Jacksonville which is a town that is torn between being part of Florida and being part of the Deep South - and in my experience the Deep South is winning. It's still a good place to visit, and a pretty looking city, in particular the downtown and this bridge and a couple of the other, larger local bridges - and this is one of the iconic elements that I always remember every time I visit this very interesting town. read more

Main St. Bridge - I mainly like this bridge - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

AKA and officially named: The John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge Here's a little skinny (history): the bridge crosses the St. Johns River in Jacksonville and it was the second bridge built to cross the river. Construction began in 1938 and took 3 years to build. It is a "lift" bridge instead of a draw bridge to allow larger ships to pass under it. The official name comes from the former mayor of Jacksonville. The bridge accommodates traffic to and from the Southbank & Northbank and leads to the highway (I-95) on the Southbank side. There are pedestrian walkways on the bridge as well. If you walk, jog or drive on the bridge...well, it's a just a cool older bridge. To really admire this bridge you need to be on the ground. Watch it lift and come back down...it's pretty cool! But catching it in action may take some patience since you need to wait on a big boat or ship. Other than the above, it's a beautiful bridge and it is part of the Jacksonville skyline! Day or night...it's worth a look-see! Hint/Tip: Best views are from Friendship Fountain and/or the River City Brewing Company (have a drink and/or meal...and "wait for it" to do its thing). read more

Main St. Bridge - Here we go...Woo Hoo! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I love this bridge and the way it is lite up at night. I walk it for exercise and love seeing people enjoying the view of downtown and the St. John's River. There is some demolition going on as they are removing one of the ramps so use caution and always walk in pairs. read more

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This is one of my favorite bridges in the area. I don't even mind getting stuck when it is up~ because it is so interesting to watch go up and down! This iconic Blue Bridge downtown takes you over the St Johns, accessible from 95- it's an easy way into downtown. This is my first choice when going into the city~ unless it's rush hour, then I may go an alternate route to avoid the interstate. I also have admired this bridge from below- parked at the Landing. Great views! It's actually one of my favorite bridges to photograph! read more

Main St. Bridge - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

This bridge is a must to see specially if you're in the area at night. The blue lights make this bridge impressive sight from all around. The bridge itself is 81 years old, and it's 1,680 ft long. I've read somewhere that 365-foot long continuous truss vertical lift span at the center is the longest in Florida. After venturing out and crossing it I learned there is such a thing as direction in which you're suppose to walk while crossing it. So if you are walking from the Southbank towards Downtown, you need to walk on the right side of the bridge. If you are walking from Downtown to the Southbank, you need to walk on the left side of the bridge. Of course, I walked in a wrong direction, but I will definitely make sure I google this next time I'm trying to cross a bridge read more

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This bridge in Downtown Jacksonville is just beautiful. It's a small bridge and it is a drawbridge. It's short in length, not high, and takes you from the southbank to the northbank and vice versa. The bridge is painted a blue colour and is beautiful during the daytime, but at night, it really comes alive when it is lit up in a beautiful blue colour. Check out some of the photos that have been posted of both daytime and nighttime shots of the bridge. Because it's a drawbridge, there is always a chance it may be raised for a boat to pass underneath and you may be stopped. Because it's a small bridge, boats usually pass under pretty quickly, so you shouldn't find yourself stopped for long. The bridge is only .32 miles long and there's a walking path on both sides of the bridge. You'll often see people walking or jogging across the bridge. I know a lot of people who work downtown cross the bridge back and forth during lunchtime for exercise. For a really great view of the bridge at night and to get some really amazing photos of the bridge with Downtown Jacksonville in the background, head to Friendship Fountain http://www.yelp.com/biz/friendship-fountain-jacksonville or head to The Jacksonville Landing http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-jacksonville-landing-jacksonville#query:landing read more

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This is my favorite local bridge of all. I like the pretty blue hue and it looks best lighted up at night. Sooo beautiful. Yes, this is the famous Jacksonville bridge that shows up in all the postcards right next to (what was once) the Modis building. What most people, even some of the locals don't know is that the real name is the John T. Alsop Bridge. I guess it's much shorter and easier to remember Main Street Bridge. Haha. This bridge takes you across the St Johns River from the north bank to the south bank. The only con, as Hilary mentioned in an earlier review, is the fact that boats passing underneath hold up traffic since the bridge is so low and requires a part of it in the middle to rise to let water traffic through. I've gone late to work because of the darn thing before. It's fun to walk this bridge. You get one of the best views of town. Sparkling water beneath you and skyscrapers around. Pretty cool! If you do the Gate River Run 15K, you're sure to run/walk this one as part of the route. read more

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Main Street Bridge, how I admired your beauty from room 628 at the Hyatt Riverfront. Whether it be morning, afternoon, or evening I enjoyed taking pics from my window. It's amazing how many unique looks this beautiful bridge offers, but I tried to capture around a dozen photos. So without ever crossing it's span, I admired your majestic elegance from a far I am a fan. read more

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The Main Street Bridge is such a beautiful bridge at night with its hues of blue lighting it up against the St. Johns River underneath and the city's skyline above. The view from the Southbank is one of my favorites. What's cool about the Main Street Bridge is that you can walk or jog across it anytime. If you're driving, it drops you right into downtown Jacksonville with the northbound traffic that turns right on Water Street and left on Ocean Street. Overall, it's a useful and gorgeous bridge that only adds beauty to the city. read more

Main St. Bridge - Lit up for Light Boat Parade 2015 - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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An icon of Jacksonville - you will find this blue, lift bridge on most Jacksonville souvenirs. The walk over the mighty St John's river is enjoyable and makes for a fun trip with friends and family. At night, the bridge lights up. After having driven on it several times, it was a pleasure walking across it, finally! Make sure to wear a jacket, it can get windy up there. read more

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What a nice Bridge to walk across with a amazing view of the landing & the river walk.and at night it has a blue light on the bridge great for taking photos,it takes right to the river walk ,with the beautiful fountain ,at night it lights up with a beautiful color. read more

Main St. Bridge - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

If there is a bridge in town that says: "Jacksonville", then the Main St. Bridge is it. The bridge is officially named the John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge, but if you were to refer to it by that name, I guarantee that the majority wouldn't know what you were talking about. You'd have to resort to "the blue, lift bridge in the middle of Downtown," which is an apt description as well. The Main St Bridge is where all Downtown firework extravaganzas are launched from, and it's also the quickest route between the Northbank (Downtown) and the Southbank (San Marco). It gives our Downtown quite a pretty view when it is all lit up at night. Additionally, our skyline wouldn't be the same without it. Main St Bridge, what would we do without you? read more

Beautiful bridge when it's lit up a night . This was my first time seeing a boat go under the bridge and seeing a part of the bridge being raised in the air. Alright I was excited! They raised and lowered the bridge so fast . Hey I was impressed. read more

Main St. Bridge - I see a nice Bridge for walking, well any form of exercising! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Love this bridge!!! It's a fun and relatively short walk. Great views of the buildings downtown and the other side of the St Johns. It's a bit vertigo inducing and narrow, especially when a biker is coming the other way. I'm convinced that a jump is survivable and that there should be a competition for adventure seekers. YOLO!!! Maybe that's not such a great idea but it's still a beautiful bridge and exciting to walk over it and ponder the possiblity... read more

What's not to like? It's a bridge! I appreciated the easy access and signs around it, making it easier for an out of towner to get around.

While having dinner at the River City Brewing Co. looking out on the river at the view of the Bridge was nice. A great view while watching the sun set. read more

A beautiful "blue" bridge over the river in downtown Jacksonville, a really fantastic photo op at night when it's lit up. read more

Main St. Bridge - Main St. Bridge at night, from the Jacksonville City Marina. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

When it's lit up at night, the Blue Bridge (my kids lovingly dubbed it that as toddlers ) is spectacular. It's wonderful for a stroll, especially at sunrise or sunset. read more

Main St. Bridge - Photo by Derek Hudson. A bicycle built for two, a beautiful sunset in the heart of our city over the pulse of our river. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

This bridge is not known for its official name, the John T. Alsop Bridge, named after the mayor at the time it was built in 1941. Instead, it is known as the Main St. Bridge, as it runs directly off of Main St. in Downtown across the river over to San Marco. This is probably the cutest bridge in all of Jacksonville. It's low to the water and uses a lift [which can be SO ANNOYING] whenever a boat needs to pass underneath. It is painted a beautiful royal blue and is lit up at night, illuminated against the skyline and reflected off the St. Johns River. My favorite memories of this bridge are of New Years Eve. Every year we come to this bridge to stand on its large sidewalks and watch the fireworks that go off literally right above our heads! Two barges on either side of the bridge set off a stunning fireworks display and it's about as close as you can get to them without catching on fire. It's magical. People walk over this bridge all the time. It has wide sidewalks and is short and relatively flat, so it's pedestrian friendly. The four lanes are a little narrow for vehicular purposes and always kind of make me wary of sideswiping another car or the concrete walls that line it. Hasn't happened so far, though! The Main St. Bridge is located right in the heart of Downtown Jacksonville and is a great tourist spot. Get a little walk in, hit up the Landing on the Downtown side and then cross it to visit the Museum of Science and History and the River City Brewing Co. on the South Bank. One of my favorite "spots" in Jacksonville. read more

The Main Street bridge was the first bridge I drove over with my driving instructor in downtown Jacksonville. I had never driven downtown in Jacksonville until this day in the 80s. Anyone driving down Main Street headed toward the river knows that 3 lanes expand into 4 lanes and the two right lanes are right turn only. Having practiced this drive 1000x since then, its a no brainer, but back in the day, the first time, the instructor had to jerk, a good word for the man too, the wheel to send us back over the Main Street Bridge. Ugh, first memories of the bridge. During the Super Bowl, the city used to have lights at the top of the span that faced North and South, these were LED lights and they used to show off the bridge nicely at night. Who knows what happened to them since, but they are gone, the bridge is old, tired, your classic Vertical Lift Bridge, it was built in 1941. This is now the oldest bridge across the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville. The old Acosta Bridge was the original and was built in 1921, then torn down and rebuilt in 1991 and finished in 1994. The main street bridge was never built to handle 18-wheelers and larger cars of today. It is a wonder how much longer it will continue to operate, but until then, be careful on the pedestrian walks, they are slippery when wet, but enjoy the feeling of being above the river 35 feet when the bridge is closed. It's a great feeling! read more

Jacksonville icon. Beautiful. Unmistakable when you see pictures, you know you're looking at a picture of Jacksonville! Freaky to drive on, but I love it! Just go slow... =) read more

The bridge is safe and you get a nice view of parts of the city as you go over it, my grandson is on the track team and doing practice they run across the Main Street and it a very smooth ride across it. read more

Staying at the crown plaza. Requested a river view room for the night time view mostly. The lights are not on like normal. Just the tall columns are lit up. They are doing some type of construction I guess that's why the bridge isn't lit up all the way. It makes me pretty sad. I guess we just visited Jacksonville at the wrong time so much construction. No river walk, no water taxi... read more

Main St. Bridge - The bridge not lit up all the way! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida