Charles E. Bennett Memorial Bridge
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The Charles E. Bennett Memorial Bridge carries Florida State Road 116 traffic over the Intracoastal Waterway south of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It was named for Charles Edward Bennett, a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida who was involved in the creation of Mayport Naval Station. The bridge is commonly referred to as the Wonderwood Bridge, as the bridge is located on Wonderwood Drive.[1]
In 1997, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and City Council voted to build the Wonderwood Connector. Construction began on the bridge in May 2001 and was projected to be completed in November 2003. In August 2003, engineers determined that an uncompleted portion of the bridge would be too low for a Coast Guard permit, and construction was halted in November 2003. The bridge was completed on July 24, 2004.[2] The bridge was the linchpin of a $122 million project for a connector that began in 1987. The connector, Florida State Road 116, was completed in June 2009. State Road 116 connects Mayport Naval Station and the beaches communities with the mainland. The cost of the bridge was $36.5 million.[3]