The "Scary Bridge" to Siesta Key

Bridges in and around Sarasota and it’s world class beaches have played an important role in the development of Sarasota. My wife is a fourth generation Sarasotan and remembers her grandmother telling her stories about her great-great grandfather, who was one of the first physicians in the area. It was routine for him to row a boat or take a ferry (like the one in the photo below, top left) to reach Siesta Key and other barrier islands to tend to his patients. The trip by ferry from downtown Sarasota to Siesta (formerly known as Sarasota Key) took 20 minutes. It was not until 1917, that the first bridge was built between Siesta Key and the mainland. By 1927, the original Siesta Key Bridge was replaced with a more substantial structure, and the current drawbridge (on the infamous list of Ugliest Bridges) was built in 1972.


I remember the second Siesta Key bridge well…I called it the ‘pipe bridge’ because of the metal railings. It tended to be scary to drive across – it was very narrow with a sidewalk only on one side, and it was very close to the water. My wife’s father who lived on Siesta Key remembers staying on a bit too long as a hurricane was spinning in the gulf. When he finally decided to evacuate the family, waves were literally crashing over the bridge as he drove across Sarasota Bay to the mainland.

Many times, when approaching the north bridge, you’ll have to put your car in park while the bridge lifts for boats to pass.  It used to be annoying to me, but now I find that it is a relaxing event to watch the sailboats pass by. If you are looking for a home on Siesta Key or the mainland in Sarasota, give me a call and I will show you around and tell you some stories about growing up here in my beautiful hometown of Sarasota, Florida.



Credits: Sarasota History Alive, Florida DOT, Sarasota: A History, by Jeff LaHurd, uglybridges.com