Helyx Bridge
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox bridge
|bridge_name = Helyx Bridge
|native_name =
|image = File:HelyxBridge SouthEast Night.jpg
|image_size =
|coordinates = {{coord|29|38|28|N|82|20|22|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|alt =
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|official_name = Helyx Bridge
|carries = Pedestrians, Cyclists
|crosses = {{jct|state=FL|US|441}}
|locale = Gainesville, Florida
|maint =
|architect =
|engineer =
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|material = Aluminum, concrete
|spans =
|pierswater =
|mainspan =
|length =
|width =
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|open = 1980s (as a rail trail), 2012 (re-opening)
}}
The Helyx Bridge, unofficially dubbed the DNA Bridge, is a pedestrian and bicycle overpass located in Gainesville, Florida. It crosses over U.S. Route 441 (US 441).
History
The bridge was originally built to carry rail traffic on a line that paralleled the modern day Archer Road toward what is now the Old Gainesville Depot. Through numerous mergers and acquisitions, the line became a branch of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. When the line was converted to a rail trail in the 1980s,{{Cite web|url=http://www.americantrails.org/resources/art/Gainesville-Depot-Trail-Overpass-FL.html |title=Artistic renovation for Gainesville's Depot Trail Overpass |date=25 November 2012 |publisher=American Trails |access-date=13 November 2016}} the bridge was converted for pedestrian use, and a steel cage-like structure was installed. In 2009, the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency determined that a refresh would be needed to improve the structure's appearance and improve the image conveyed by what was a gateway to the city. In March 2012, construction started on a new design resembling a strand of DNA, with the bridge re-opening on Thanksgiving{{Cite web|url=http://gainesvillecra.com/projects/item/13th-street-pedestrian-overpass-enhancement |title=Helyx Bridge (13th Street Pedestrian Overpass Enhancement) |publisher=Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency |access-date=13 November 2016}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.gainesville.com/news/20121126/13th-street-overpass-has-reopened-along-with-other-improvement-projects |title=13th Street overpass has opened along with other improvement projects |author=Christopher Curry|date=25 November 2012 |publisher=Gainesville Sun |access-date=13 November 2016}}
Design
When the bridge was rebuilt in 2012, it was designed as a nod to Gainesville's past as a railroad town, as well as its future in the high-tech industry and the nearby University of Florida Health Science Center. Although built to resemble a strand of DNA, the structure is not a true double helix, but instead a pair of connected sine waves 180 degrees out of phase. At night, the bridge is lit by an array of LED lights{{Cite web|url=http://oelrichconstruction.com/project-portfolio/projects/item/sw-13th-street-pedestrian-bridge |title=SW 13th Street Helyx Bridge |publisher=Oelrich Construction|access-date=13 November 2016}}
See also
- {{Portal-inline|Transport}}
- {{Portal-inline|Engineering}}
- {{Portal-inline|Florida}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons}}
{{Greater Gainesville}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helyx Bridge}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Gainesville, Florida
Category:Pedestrian bridges in the United States
Category:Bridges completed in the 1980s
Category:1980s establishments in Florida