NEW STRUCTURE WOULD BE CALLED ?"THE ST. JOHNS RIVER VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative John L. Mica (R-Volusia) today requested members of the Florida State Legislature to designate the new I-4 bridge over the St. Johns River in honor of the Nation’s veterans. The new structure, scheduled to be opened for full public service soon, would be named "The St. Johns River Veterans Memorial Bridge."
In letters sent to members of both the Volusia and Seminole County State Legislative Delegations, Rep. Mica stated, "Given the sacrifice of many who served for our nation, I believe it would be appropriate to name the bridge, ‘The St. Johns River Veterans Memorial Bridge’."
Rep. Mica helped change national legislation and secured federal assistance to expedite the I-4/St. Johns River Bridge replacement project. Designed to carry about 30,000 vehicles per day, the bridge had a daily traffic count of more than 70,000 vehicles in 1999, and that volume has only increased since. Until recently, however, the narrowness of the bridge resulted in a bottleneck on I-4 which contributed to traffic congestion as well as numerous accidents.
The $138 million project included the replacement and widening of the bridge to accommodate 6 lanes, the reconstruction of an unsafe interchange at U.S. 17/92 and I-4, and an interim widening of I-4 to 6 lanes from Saxon Boulevard through U.S. 17/92 to the Lake Mary Interchange. In 1998, as part of the federal Transportation Efficiency Act ("TEA-21"), Mica obtained $14 million in federal funds to expedite the project.
In 1999, Mica followed up by successfully urging the Governor to approve the State’s use of Grant Anticipation Revenue (GARVEE) bonds for the bridge project. This financing mechanism, which Mica helped create and was approved in the 1995 National Highway System Designation Act, advanced funding for the project by leveraging federal highway funds that the State was scheduled to receive.
Rather than in 2003, work began on March 17, 2001 and now nears completion. To celebrate the start of the project, Rep. Mica, FDOT District 5 Secretary Mike Snyder and community leaders participated in a commencement ceremony at Wayside Park by Lake Monroe on May 7th, 2001.
Federal and State laws require that designation of Florida’s interstate roadways, tunnels and bridges be passed by the State Legislature. While it may not be possible in the short time remaining in the Special Session, the Congressman requested that the bridge designation be given consideration during the next session.
"We don’t have a structure of this nature in Central Florida named for our veterans," Mica stated. "This would be an appropriate way to recognize the service and sacrifice of those who answered the call to duty during our Nation’s times of need."