Draw Bridge Ahead - Prepare to Stop When Flashing!

01/16/10

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 The youngest of all Pinellas County drawbridges, the Park Blvd. Bridge was constructed and opened in 1981 connecting Indian Shores with Seminole and Pinellas Park to the east, not to mention Interstate 275, the far northeast St. Petersburg/Gandy area and Tampa via the Gandy Bridge.  The Park Blvd. Bridge connected the missing final link in CR 694 which provides a continuous roadway to Pinellas Park at 66 St N (FL 693) and further east as FL 694.  As CR 694 is a Pinellas County road, the Park Blvd. Bridge was constructed and is owned by Pinellas County.

When the Park Blvd. Bridge opened, it was originally called the 78th Avenue Bridge, so named for the street that goes east from the bridge to 113 St N where the name changes to Park Blvd.  However, in order to alleviate any confusion from three names for Pinellas County's CR 694 and Florida DOT's FL 694, the Pinellas County Commission - acting on advice from the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) - decided to agree on just two names.  The entire CR 694 as well as the part of FL 694 west of US 19, including the newly built bridge, would be named Park Blvd. while the part of FL 694 east of US 19 and continuing past 4 St N in St. Petersburg as US 92 would be named Gandy Blvd.  When this happened, the name of the bridge was changed from the 78th Avenue Bridge to the Park Blvd. Bridge as we know today.

There was a toll collected for use of the Park Blvd. Bridge when it opened in 1981; the toll was probably 50 cents.  When the bonds for financing construction of the bridge were paid off, the tolls were lifted around 1991 and the toll booths and plaza were removed sometime thereafter.  What stands today as a reminder of the toll plaza that used to be there is the administration building on the south side of Park Blvd. on the east side of the bridge as well as the metal/rubber fixtures in the road where the toll booths once stood called treadles (toll classification counters).

The Park Blvd. Bridge is one of the few drawbridges in Pinellas County that can be opened on demand by the boat sounding the horn signal or contacting the bridge tender on marine VHF Channel 9.  Moreover, the Park Blvd. Bridge has an interstate highway look and feel to it when you drive across even though drawbridges are not allowed on the Interstate Highway System save for very few exceptions.

Park Blvd. Bridge Photos

Overhead for CR 694 westbound

Continue west on CR 694 westbound across the Park Blvd. Bridge to reach Gulf Blvd. and Indian Shores. This was taken on CR 694 westbound at Oakhurst Road before the bridge.

Overhead for FL 699

Remain in the left lane for Madeira Beach or in the right lane for Indian Rocks Beach. This is located westbound as you get on the bridge.

Closeup of FL 699 overhead

A sidewalk view of the FL 699 overhead just before you cross the Park Blvd. Bridge westbound.

Final FL 699 overhead

Remain in the left lanes for Madeira Beach or use the just forming right turn lane for Indian Rocks Beach.

Closeup of FL 699 overhead

Here's a closeup of the FL 699 overhead as seen westbound as you exit the Park Blvd. Bridge.

Advance signage for CR 694 east

CR 694 east is coming up in one mile as we head south on Gulf Blvd. (FL 699).

More advance signage for CR 694 east

Get in the left lane on Gulf Blvd. southbound to reach CR 694 east. From here Gulf Blvd. will be a divided highway until after the Redington Beaches.

Final opportunity for CR 694 east

Final call if you want to exit the beaches here.

Traffic signals on Gulf Blvd. at CR 694

This is where CR 694 ends here at Gulf Blvd. Notice the art deco mast arm construction.

Interstate 275 and hurricane evacuation route

CR 694 east will lead you through Seminole and Pinellas Park to Interstate 275's Exit 28, which is FL 694/Gandy Blvd. Also notice that CR 694 is a designated hurricane evacuation route.

First assurance shield for CR 694

Taken on eastbound CR 694 as soon as you exit from Gulf Blvd. northbound.

Draw bridge ahead, east side

The Draw Bridge Ahead warning sign, only this time it's much smaller in size. Below it is an Emergency Stopping Only sign much like you see on Interstate 275 as the Park Blvd. Bridge incorporates an emergency breakdown lane.

Draw bridge ahead, west side with beacon

Here is another Draw Bridge Ahead sign with the warning beacon, which is activated when traffic has to stop for the bridge.

Closeup of draw bridge ahead

Here is a closeup of the Draw Bridge Ahead warning sign. Notice that FHWA Series B font is used but the type is small for the large size sign.

Drawbridge traffic signal and gate

Here is a view of the drawbridge traffic signal and gate which lowers across the westbound lanes when the bridge has to be opened. The traffic signal turns red when the bridge opens as well.

Steel grid deck

Check out the steel grid deck on the Park Blvd. Bridge: It incorporates the emergency breakdown lane as part of the bridge. Driving across this deck gives the minimal shaking car feeling which is why there are signs telling you to go slow across this deck.

Bridge tender's house

Modeled after the bridge tender houses at Corey Causeway and Madeira Beach Causeway on the Florida DOT model, this air traffic control tower like structure gives the bridge tender optimal view of boaters and motorists/pedestrians alike.

Another view of the draw bridge traffic signal

Here is another view looking westbound on the Park Blvd. Bridge with the bridge tender's house to the left, the drawbridge traffic signal over the travel lanes and the gate to the right.

View looking eastbound

This is a great view of the Park Blvd. Bridge looking eastbound towards Seminole. Driving on the Park Blvd. Bridge reminds me of driving on an interstate highway minus the drawbridge itself; after all, in general you cannot have a movable bridge on the Interstate Highway System.

Mangroves on the water

So many mangroves that abut homes on the Intracoastal Waterway in the background. Mangroves cannot be disturbed except by Pinellas County permit, and the permitting process can be tricky.

Western end of CR 694

This is the western end of CR 694 as it terminates here at Gulf Blvd., being part of a road system consisting of Park Blvd. and Gandy Blvd. spanning from Bayshore Drive in Tampa and crossing the Gandy Bridge into St. Petersburg and continuing west through Pinellas Park and Seminole.

Fender system

This is the fender system below the Park Blvd. Bridge which guards the two bascule pits from wayward boats. Notice the bridge clearance gauge to the right and the sign that the bridge tender is monitoring marine VHF Channel 9 on the fender. Fishing on the fender system is not a good idea.

Looking from the south side of the bridge

Here is the Park Blvd. Bridge with its steel bascule leaves, bridge tender house and fender system as seen by boaters passing under the bridge. This was taken from the boat ramp and park immediately adjacent to the bridge.

Another view of the south side of the bridge

The south side of the Park Blvd. bridge as seen by boaters.

Under the fixed section of the Park Blvd. Bridge

Here are the towering pier bents that support the bridge. This is a good place for fishing on the Intracoastal Waterway from the shore.

Closeup of drawbridge lifting mechanism

Taken with my digital zoom lens from the boat ramp and park, this is the lifting mechanism that lifts one of the bascule leaves of the Park Blvd. Bridge. A motor turns one of the heavy gears (pictured in the background) that assists in raising or lowering the bridge.

Drawbridge lifting mechanism

Here is a standard view of the lifting mechanism on the western bascule leaf of the Park Blvd. Bridge as seen from the boat ramp and park. The metal slab is part of the lifting mechanism and rotates downward when the bridge is raised. The immediate area of the bascule pits are definitely no place for anchoring your boat to make that great catch due to the inherent hazards involved.

Toll plaza administration building

This building used to be the administration building for the toll plaza that once stood in the Park Blvd. Bridge's early heydays. This is where the toll collectors would begin and end their designated shift. Today it is probably used as a storage facility by Pinellas County.

Facade of toll plaza

The concrete roadway is where the toll plaza once stood.

Another view of administration building and toll plaza

Here is another view of what used to be the administration building and toll plaza. The strips of rubber and metal that delineated each lane - called a toll classification counter or treadle - is where each toll lane once stood.

Close up view of treadle

The strip of rubber and metal you see crossing the lane is a vehicle classification counter, or treadle. It serves as an accounting system where after the toll is collected the vehicle goes over this device. The treadle makes a count of how many axles a vehicle is and is recorded on a master computer in the administration building and the paper printout is used to compare what was collected by the toll collector vs. the toll amount that should have been collected. Today in the age of SunPass vehicle classification counters are of the radar type set into the concrete pavement linked to more modern computerized toll collection systems.

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This site was last updated 09/25/08