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The first swing bridge in FL was the Lake Monroe bridge that was electronically operated. In 1932-33 the state used some federally funding to build the bridge which replaced the wooden toll bridge that was manually operated at the Wayside Park location. The construction of the bridge provided some economic relief for an area that was hurting from the depression. The bridge was fabricated by Ingall's Iron Works of Birmingham Alabama. If you remember we went their one time to investigate a haunted iron factory. The swing machinery was manufactured by the Earle Gear and Machine Co. Philadelphia PA and was erected by W.W. White Steel Construction of St. Petersburg FL. The Kreis Contracting Company of Knoxville TN was the general contractor for the FL Department of Transportation and Seminole County cooperated in preserving the swing span bridge as a fishing pier when the new Benedict Bridge was completed in 1994 nearby. The bridge had a nice historic impact to the area around Sanford but it also is a historical example of bridge engineering. The bridge was 627 feet long and included a 235 foot swing span. It carried the main route linking Daytona Beach and Tampa via Deland, Sanford, Orlando and Lakeland. It could pivot 360 degrees on its curved rack and two spur pinions. The Warren-type through truss construction had a central panel section peaked to accommodate the drive machinery. The Warren-type truss is considered the most economical construction for continuous spans. It is characterized by the diagonals that alternate in direction. The first diagonal beam starts at the base level and goes up to the top. The next diagonal starts at the top and goes down to the base level. The diagonals are the tension and compression in the alternate panels. To meet the heavy stresses of the swing span operation the bridge arms were heavily reinforced and had riveted connections at all stress points. The harbor nearby for Lake Monroe Park in Volusia County was created by fill taken for the approaches to the lake Monroe Bridge. The park is not only a place for this historic bridge it also is the place where some deaths have occurred. The area near the power plant has been causing some of the fish to grow beards anotherwards some of its toxic so do not eat the fish that are in the mouth of Lake Monroe. There is a cross which bares two names on it so we know for a fact that there has been deaths near the bridge besides the fact that the CSX railroad also runs parallel with the park. There is a picnic shelter here and some docks. Along with that there is the suspended bridge house and an old outhouse within the park. So the entire area perhaps is historic and then of course the park is built right on into it. I have rowed a small boat in this area and it gets pretty gloomy here at night. © By Lord Rick-AngelOfThyNight
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