Mamie Langdale Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 26°49′59″N 81°05′19″W / 26.83306°N 81.08861°W / 26.83306; -81.08861 |
| Carries |  US 27 |
| Crosses | Caloosahatchee Canal |
| Locale | Moore Haven, Florida |
| Official name | Mamie Langdale Memorial Bridge |
| Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | concrete girder bridge |
| Total length | 2,281 ft (695 m) |
| 55 ft (17 m) | |
| History | |
| Opened |
|
| Statistics | |
| Toll | None |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Mamie Langdale Memorial Bridge | |
The Mamie Langdale Memorial Bridge is a bridge carrying U.S. Highway 27 (US 27) over the Caloosahatchee Canal in Moore Haven, Florida. The bridge was built in 1999 and it is 55 feet (17 m) tall. The bridge's primary span over the canal is a 320-foot (98 m) spliced concrete girder span. It was the longest spliced concrete girder span in the country at the time.[1] The bridge is named for Mamie Langdale, one of the former bridge tenders of the previous drawbridge at the site who passed away in 1973.[2][3]
History
The Mamie Langdale Memorial Bridge is the third bridge to cross the Caloosahatchee Canal (also known historically as the Three Mile Canal) in Moore Haven.
The first bridge was a small swing bridge built around 1922.[4] This swing bridge was located just southwest of the current bridge connecting 1st Street in the Moore Haven Downtown Historic District with what is now "Old 27" on the south side. The swing bridge carried State Road 67 (SR 67) through Moore Haven.[5] SR 67 was redesignated SR 25 after the 1945 Florida State Road renumbering.[6] In 1948, the route became US 27 (with SR 25 as a hidden designation) when that designation was extended from Tallahassee to Miami.[7]
The swing bridge was replaced with a concrete drawbridge in 1954. The drawbridge was built at the site of the current bridge and US 27 was rerouted on to its current alignment through Moore Haven at the time.[8]
The current bridge opened in 1999. The west half opened first carrying one lane in each direction. The rest of the bridge was completed after the demolition of the drawbridge.[1]
References
- Irvine, Sheila (April 19, 2000). "Moore Haven Bridge's Growth Spurt Lets Cars, Boats Sail Right Through". Construction Equipment Guide. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- Day, Chris. "Moore Haven Florida". Count Up. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- "Obituary for Mamie McCall Langdale". The News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. February 21, 1973. p. 14. Retrieved April 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Looking east from new bridge at Moore Haven in the Everglades Drainage District". Florida Memory. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- State Road Department of Florida (1936). Mid Glades (Map). Scale not given. Tallahassee: State Road Department of Florida. Retrieved April 20, 2026 – via Florida Center for Instructional Technology, University of South Florida.
- State Road Department of Florida (1939). Official State Road Map of Florida (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Tallahassee: State Road Department of Florida. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- "Endpoints of US Route 27". US Ends. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- "Moore Haven Downtown Historic District". Abandoned Florida. Retrieved April 15, 2026.