Circus Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Venice, FL

This $35 million Major Bascule Bridge Replacement with new Control tower and three miles of new roadway was completed in 2005 by Southland subsidiary, Johnson Bros. The project was completed for FDOT District 1 and spans SR 41 over the Intracoastal Waterway. The bridge center span has 90 feet of horizontal clearance and unlimited vertical clearance in the open position. The Circus Bridge Project was selected by FDOT for the 2005 Best in Construction of Major Bridge Award and was also nominated for the national AGC Marvin Black Partnering Award.

The bridge gets its name as an homage of Venice’s past connections with Barnum & Bailey’s Circus. For many years, the circus used Venice as its winter home and were located right next to the current bridge. The Ringling Bros. are no longer stationed in Venice, but they are remembered in the area through the bridge.