Considering that the Causeway to Jekyll Island was finished by the end of 1950, one can only question why it took another 4 years to actually build and open the missing bridge. Was it really a “bridge too far” or was the delay caused by some other unforeseen circumstances?

The reason for the seemingly long delay is actually multi-causal and cannot simply be contributed to one single factor.

Let’s travel back to 1950, the year that the Jekyll Island Authority is formed and put in charge of the island’s management, development, and maintenance. All of a sudden, three different parties are now interested in building the bridge to the new state park: the state together with the US Department of Public Works; Glynn County; and of course the Authority.

Why?

Because whoever builds and finances the bridge can also decide whether or not to levy a toll, thereby getting reimbursed for the construction cost.

It is easy to understand why the state would finance the bridge since that is part of its overall responsibility, and it is understandable that the Authority would like to own the bridge. But why would Glynn County be interested in all of this?

Since Jekyll Island geographically falls within the Glynn County boundaries, and Saint Simons Island already has a toll bridge, the County Commissioners want to ensure that future Jekyll residents are placed on equal footing with Saint Simons, i.e. build the bridge and levy a toll. That idea sounds fair, were it not for the fact that Jekyll Island is a state park and should be accessible to all.

The Authority strongly opposed the idea of a toll bridge, which leads to long and heated debates that last well into 1953.

When the dust finally settles, and all parties agree that the best solution is to simply allow the state and the US Department of Public Works to finance and construct the bridge, the US is in the middle of the Korean war. As a result, all steel is being rationed for defense purposes only until further notice.

When finally the steel rationing is lifted early 1954, the plans for the bridge are submitted and approved in record time, and construction can finally begin. There is one slight change in the final design of the bridge though.

Instead of the envisioned double-bascule bridge, identical to the Saint Simons bridge constructed in 1927, the new design is altered to feature a single vertical lift as a cost-saving factor.

The bridge will finally connect the end of the Causeway with the JI Parkway but not until more dunes along the ocean are being removed so the sand and dirt can be used to construct the necessary embankments.

The opening of the bridge on December 10, 1954, not only changed the future of Jekyll Island State Park, it literally created and ensured the future of the island by making it accessible to all.

For more history about Jekyll Island State Park, click here.

Enjoy and stay tuned for more interesting stories!