Snow-Reed Swing Bridge

The Snow-Reed Swing Bridge is a rotating span that crosses the north fork of the New River, linking the Sailboat Bend and Riverside Park neighborhoods. It pivots 63 degrees to allow water traffic to pass through the river system.

Built by the Champion Bridge Company in 1925, the structure replaced an earlier wooden bridge that served the same crossing point. Its construction marked an important upgrade to the river transportation infrastructure of Fort Lauderdale.

The bridge carries the names of two Fort Lauderdale mayors, E.G. Snow and Will J. Reed, who were in office when it was being built in the mid-1920s. This naming choice reflects the city's way of honoring local leaders involved in the area's growth.

The bridge operates twenty-four hours a day and rotates whenever river traffic needs to pass through. Pedestrians and vehicle drivers should expect brief traffic pauses when vessels approach the span.

The structure was once operated entirely by hand-cranking before receiving a gas motor in 1930. The switch to electrical power in the 1950s modernized its mechanics, which remain in use today.

Location: Florida

Official opening: 1925

GPS coordinates: 26.11581,-80.15596

Latest update: December 13, 2025 11:43