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| Las Olas bridge view from Idlewyld neighborhood 2024 |
By Jane Feehan
Fort Lauderdale’s population grew from 17,996 in 1940 to
36,328 residents in 1950*. Along with this expansion came infrastructure woes. Newspapers
pointed to several traffic bottlenecks including at the bridge built in 1917
from Las Olas to the beach. It was time for a new structure to ease traffic snarls.
A permit was applied for by the state’s road department from
the U.S Department of the Army in January 1956. By May that year, bids were
solicited for a new four-lane bridge. Final decision was made on a bid for $1.5
million for a span of 1,095 feet. It would sit at 24.7 feet in a closed position
above high-tide waters. Separate bids went out for the east and west approaches
to the new structure and included two five-foot sidewalks for less than
$20,000. A channel would be cut through a small island in the Intracoastal for
the structure (the entire island was eventually removed).
Though steel for the new structure began to arrive in 1957, builders soon faced a short-lived shortage. Limited supplies resulted from a nationwide post war building boom. Despite the delay, the bridge was finished five weeks early in August 1958 for $1.2 million.
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| Bridge opens in 1958, State Archives of Florida |
Discussions about a garage versus a surface parking lot ran concurrently
with bridge construction. Some wanted a multi-use garage with offices and
retail at ground level and an area dedicated to recreational activities on the
roof. The city settled on a surface lot on the bridge’s east side. (The garage
concept re-emerged in subsequent decades resulting in the structure at
Seabreeze and Las Olas that opened in 2018 and was completed in 2020 for about $21
million).
The old bridge remained in use until the new one was completed
in 1958. The Las Olas bridge opened August 26, 1958. A formal dedication was
held September 6, 1958. Public officials were on hand including a group aboard a
yacht owned by Bernie Castro of Castro (convertible sofa). Music was provided
by the Fort Lauderdale High School Band. The widow of U.S. Representative Dwight
L. Rogers for whom the bridge was named, cut the ribbon and pulled a lever to raise
the bridge as part of the ceremony.
How many times have we crossed that bridge—and others—bearing
the name of an official or notable resident without knowing it’s the official designation
of the bridge?
Naming background
Florida Department of Transportation’s designation of certain
roads, bridges or other transportation facilities is a “long-standing practice
in Florida.” A designation must be made according to statutory requirements and
procedures. FDOT pays costs related to signage (as of 2011). Dwight Laing Rogers (1886-1954) moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1925 and served as United States Representative (D-FL) four terms 1945-1954.
The Dwight L. Rogers Memorial Causeway includes the bridge approaches and bridge. Most refer to it as the Las Olas bridge. Now you know where this memorial causeway sits.
Bridge update
The bridge underwent significant rehabilitation in 2013 for
about $9 million (some sources report $5.8 million).
*George, Paul S. Meeting
the Challenges of Growth: Road and Bridge Building in Post WWII Fort Lauderdale.
Broward Legacy.
Florida Department of Transportation
Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 12, 1956
Fort Lauderdale News, April 1, 1956
The Miami Herald, July 18, 1957
The Miami Herald, Oct. 31, 1957
The Miami Herald, Dec. 5, 1957
Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 16, 1958
Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 26, 1958
The Miami Herald, Sept. 7, 1958
The Miami Herald, Sept. 22, 1958
Tags: Las Olas bridge, Fort Lauderdale in the 1950s, Rep. Dwight Laing Rogers
