Volusia County Council unanimously approves plan to replace Orange Avenue draw bridge in Daytona Beach with fixed high-rise bridge

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Photo by Henry Frederick / Here is a view of the Orange Avenue Bridge in Daytona Beach as taken from inside a car.
Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

DAYTONA BEACH – With the clock ticking on the life span of the Orange Avenue draw bridge in Daytona Beach, the Volusia County Council earlier today unanimously approved plans to replace it with a  high-rise fixed bridge, replacing the aging structure that’s been servicing traffic since 1954.

With an estimated cost of $24.4 million, the bridge has  about 10 years of life left, according to county engineers. Council members were considering a new drawbridge, but at a price tag of $40.7 million, that design was cost prohibitive.

The Florida Department of Transportation recently added the bridge replacement to its five-year work program and money for the new bridge will be available to the county in 2014.

County manager Jim Dinneen said now that DOT has found the funding for the bridge, people are beginning to realize work will begin soon.

“Having money available now has changed the dynamics of the project,” the county manager said during Thursday's meeting in DeLand. “People know something will get done.”

About the contributing writer:

Dale Smith is a resident of New Smyrna Beach, who has reported on local news in Volusia County since October 2009.  His writing background includes a mix of journalism and public relations in several community newspapers and a p.r. firm in northern Virginia. He attended Barton Academy in Barton, Vt., and the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Broadcasting for radio & TV broadcasting.