Royal Park Bridge, Road and bascule bridge in West Palm Beach, US

The Royal Park Bridge is a bascule bridge carrying road traffic across the Intracoastal Waterway between West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, Florida. Its movable spans rise to let boats pass. The current structure opened in 2005, replacing a temporary bridge installed in 1999 after the previous span was condemned in 1998.

Elisha Newton "Cap" Dimick, Palm Beach's first mayor, built the original wooden Royal Park Bridge in 1911, naming it after his Royal Park Addition development and charging a 25-cent vehicle toll. Palm Beach County bought it for $40,000 in 1919; a concrete replacement collapsed two days before opening, and a two-lane span finally opened on August 11, 1924. The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane damaged its west approach and draw span, but repairs restored traffic within two weeks. The bridge was rebuilt in 1959, condemned in 1998 after wood borers were found, and the current bascule bridge opened in 2005.

The bridge's name comes from the Royal Park Addition, the Palm Beach housing development Elisha Newton "Cap" Dimick was building when he erected the first wooden span in 1911. Dimick, a former state senator and Palm Beach's first mayor, charged 25 cents per vehicle and 5 cents per pedestrian to cross. Today the bridge is crossed by the annual procession route between the two downtowns.

The bridge carries the roadway across the Intracoastal Waterway between West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, and its movable spans open for boat traffic, so crossings can pause. The current bascule structure dates from 2005, replacing a temporary bridge opened in December 1999. Allow extra time when heading to the barrier island, and stay clear of the span edges when warning signals sound.

The bridge is named after the Royal Park Addition, a housing development Elisha Newton "Cap" Dimick was building in Palm Beach when he erected the first wooden span in 1911. Dimick, a former state senator and Palm Beach's first mayor, charged a 25-cent toll per vehicle and 5 cents per pedestrian.