Fort Denaud Bridge, Steel swing bridge in Fort Denaud, Florida, US.
Fort Denaud Bridge is a steel swing bridge that crosses the Caloosahatchee River between the communities of Alva and LaBelle in Hendry County. It allows vehicles to pass over the waterway and rotates to permit boats to navigate through the river.
The bridge was built in 1963 to replace an earlier structure upstream that had become unusable by the early 1960s. This new crossing met the region's growing transportation needs at that time.
The bridge takes its name from Fort Denaud, the Hendry County community it serves, which lies on the Caloosahatchee River between Alva and LaBelle. The crossing is one of three vehicle swing bridges left in Southwest Florida, alongside the Blackburn Point Bridge in Osprey and the Boca Grande Causeway.
The bridge deck sits 8.9 feet (2.4 meters) above the Caloosahatchee River, so boats pass beneath it. The span swings open to let vessels through, and road traffic waits while it is turned. The structure is 434.7 feet long from end to end.
The bridge is 434.7 feet long from end to end, and its vertical clearance over the Caloosahatchee River is 8.9 feet. It is one of three vehicle swing bridges in Southwest Florida, alongside the Blackburn Point Bridge in Osprey and the Boca Grande Causeway.
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