The bridge was built in 1935, making it the oldest swing drawbridge in Florida and the only one in the state that is still operated manually via a crank.

[2] The Torry Island Swing Bridge crosses Lake Okeechobee's rim canal and is only one lane wide with traffic lights on both sides of the bridge controlling the direction of travel on the single lane (as well as stopping traffic when the swing span is open).

[3] Built in 1935, the bridge was needed after the construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee.

The dike's construction led to the creation of the rim canal, which needed to be bridged to access what is now Torry Island.

Corbin was a worker on the Hervert Hoover Dike after moving to the area from Alabama looking for work during the Great Depression.