Buckman Bridge

The Henry Holland Buckman Bridge carries I-295 West Beltway traffic over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.

It was named for Henry Holland Buckman,[1] a prominent legislator and attorney who was instrumental in establishing the Florida state road system.

Before the opening of the bridge (1970), road travel across the St. Johns River from Orange Park to Mandarin was longer and more complex.

Another option was to drive south to Green Cove Springs and across the wooden planks of the Shands Bridge, almost twice the distance of the northern route.

While rarely closed for weather, two situations have made shutdown necessary: Tropical Storm Fay and prolonged freezing conditions.

An aerial view of the bridge looking northeast; NAS Jacksonville lies north of the western terminus of the bridge, seen in the left-center portion of this photo.