Six lanes of SR 13 cross the St. Johns River on the St. Elmo W. Acosta Bridge, the fixed-span carrying you over the water in Jacksonville. It is named for City Councilman St. Elmo W. Acosta, the man who convinced voters to approve a $950,000 bond issue for the original bridge at this site. Today the span carries six lanes of SR 13, with the two-track Jacksonville Skyway running in the median and sidewalks along the outside so you can walk and watch the river traffic below.
Back then, the original structure opened in 1921 as the St. Johns River Bridge and carried three lanes — the center one reversible — on a lift bridge similar to the nearby Main Street Bridge. Locals called it the Yellow Monster for its habit of sticking in the upward position. Tolls were charged until 1940, earning more than $4 million for the City of Jacksonville.
The old bridge was closed at some time in 1991 to allow construction of the new span you now see. The bridge was once famous for blue neon lights that lit it at night; in February 2015 the JTA announced those lights would be off indefinitely for lack of funding for repairs. The river flows below, with skyway tracks in the median and sidewalks running beside you.