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Garcon Point Bridge
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Garcon Point Bridge
The Garcon Point Bridge is a two-lane toll bridge in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The bridge runs north-south across East Bay between Garcon Point and the Fairpoint Peninsula. The bridge carries Avalon Boulevard (SR 281), which connects Gulf Breeze Parkway (US 98) on the peninsula to I-10 and US 90 on the mainland near Milton.
The bridge was originally constructed by the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority, a state-level special-purpose district. Due to traffic on the bridge never meeting initial projections, the authority was disbanded and the bridge was taken over by bondholders. In 2022, the bridge was acquired by the state government; it is currently managed as part of Florida's Turnpike System.
Tolls are collected via electronic toll collection at the north end of the bridge. As of September 2025[update], base tolls on the bridge are $2.30 for payments made by a SunPass-compatible transponder and $2.75 for toll-by-plate.
Plans for a bridge across East Bay, which would connect US 98 and I-10 and potentially spur development along the bridge's route, were first proposed in the late 1980s. The project was nicknamed "Bo's Bridge" due to the advocacy of then-Speaker of the Florida House Bolley "Bo" Johnson, who owned land in the area.
A 1996 study by consulting firm URS Greiner Woodward Clyde projected that the bridge would serve 7,500 vehicles per day. This number was based on the traffic volume of the nearby Mid-Bay Bridge, which connects the mainland to the resort town of Destin. On the basis of this study, the bridge authority raised $95 million in bonds, as well as an $8.5 million loan from the state government.
The bridge was designed by Figg Bridge Engineers, which had previously designed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and the Seven Mile Bridge. During construction, builder Odebrecht-Metric dumped construction waste into Pensacola Bay in violation of the Clean Water Act; the company pled guilty and was fined $4 million.
The bridge was completed and opened on May 14, 1999 with a toll of $2.00.
In 2000, average daily traffic was reported to only be 3,500 vehicles per day, around half of the original estimate. Unlike the Mid-Bay Bridge used to calculate the estimates, the Garcon Point Bridge saw little tourist traffic; in addition, the housing developments it connected to saw limited growth due to a moratorium on septic tanks.
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Garcon Point Bridge
The Garcon Point Bridge is a two-lane toll bridge in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The bridge runs north-south across East Bay between Garcon Point and the Fairpoint Peninsula. The bridge carries Avalon Boulevard (SR 281), which connects Gulf Breeze Parkway (US 98) on the peninsula to I-10 and US 90 on the mainland near Milton.
The bridge was originally constructed by the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority, a state-level special-purpose district. Due to traffic on the bridge never meeting initial projections, the authority was disbanded and the bridge was taken over by bondholders. In 2022, the bridge was acquired by the state government; it is currently managed as part of Florida's Turnpike System.
Tolls are collected via electronic toll collection at the north end of the bridge. As of September 2025[update], base tolls on the bridge are $2.30 for payments made by a SunPass-compatible transponder and $2.75 for toll-by-plate.
Plans for a bridge across East Bay, which would connect US 98 and I-10 and potentially spur development along the bridge's route, were first proposed in the late 1980s. The project was nicknamed "Bo's Bridge" due to the advocacy of then-Speaker of the Florida House Bolley "Bo" Johnson, who owned land in the area.
A 1996 study by consulting firm URS Greiner Woodward Clyde projected that the bridge would serve 7,500 vehicles per day. This number was based on the traffic volume of the nearby Mid-Bay Bridge, which connects the mainland to the resort town of Destin. On the basis of this study, the bridge authority raised $95 million in bonds, as well as an $8.5 million loan from the state government.
The bridge was designed by Figg Bridge Engineers, which had previously designed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and the Seven Mile Bridge. During construction, builder Odebrecht-Metric dumped construction waste into Pensacola Bay in violation of the Clean Water Act; the company pled guilty and was fined $4 million.
The bridge was completed and opened on May 14, 1999 with a toll of $2.00.
In 2000, average daily traffic was reported to only be 3,500 vehicles per day, around half of the original estimate. Unlike the Mid-Bay Bridge used to calculate the estimates, the Garcon Point Bridge saw little tourist traffic; in addition, the housing developments it connected to saw limited growth due to a moratorium on septic tanks.