Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge
(Dames Point Bridge)
NBI Information
Location
State: Florida
County: Duval County
Feature Carried: I-295
Feature Crossed: St. Johns River and Mill Cove
Latitude, Longitude: 30.3839,-81.5567
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: State Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Open, no restriction
History
Year Built: 1989
Historical Significance: Bridge is possibly eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (requires further investigation before determination can be made) or bridge is on a State or local historic register.
Year Reconstructed: None
Picture Date: May 14, 2026
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 6
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 3
Main Structure Type: Stayed Girder
Main Structure Material: Prestressed Concrete Continuous
Number of Approach Spans: 94
Approach Structure Type: Stringer/Multi-beam or Girder
Approach Structure Material: Prestressed Concrete Continuous
Condition
Inspection Date: October 2023
Deck Condition: Good
Superstructure Condition: Satisfactory
Substructure Condition: Satisfactory
Channel Condition: Good
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2025
Bridge Information
The Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge, commonly referred to as the Dames Point Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The bridge was constructed from 1985 to 1989 and is one of the largest cable-stay bridges in the country.
This bridge features a harp stay arrangement, meaning that the cables are parallel to each other instead of being flared in the traditional fan arrangement. This results in a more symmetrical and aesthetic appearance but is less efficient. It requires that the cables anchor higher in the towers, which creates larger bending moments and greater deck deflections. The Dames Point Bridge was the first bridge in the country to use this design and was the only bridge in the country to feature a harp stay arrangement until the Sidney Lanier Bridge in Brunswick, Georgia was completed in 2003.
The bridge is named after Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, who was a former governor of Florida and a daring sea captain.
References
Weeks, John A. “Dames Point Bridge.” John Weeks, http://johnweeks.com/cablestay/pages/csb04.html. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.
Mladjov, Roumen. “Cable-Stayed Bridges.” Structure Magazine, Oct. 2020, https://www.structuremag.org/article/cable-stayed-bridges/. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.
