History
The Causeway was commissioned by the owner of a local dredging company, Ben T. Davis, in the late 1920s to provide a more direct link between Tampa and Clearwater. The only current land route at that time required travelling over 30 miles (48 km) around the northern shore of Tampa Bay, through the community of Oldsmar. His proposal was granted and work began in earnest in 1927 and continued off and on as Davis' dredging company ran out of other work to do. During construction, one of the original bridge spans was destroyed by a hurricane.
Costing $900,000 in total, the Davis Causeway was opened on January 28, 1934 with a 25ยข toll per car. In 1944, the federal government seized the Davis Causeway as part of America's war effort, paying its previous owners $1.1 million and transferring ownership to the state of Florida.
In 1948, the Davis Causeway was renamed for Courtney W. Campbell, a Clearwater Beach resident, U.S. Representative, and member of the Florida Road Board who spearheaded efforts to ensure needed repairs and beautification of the Causeway was completed.
In 2005, the Causeway was designated as an official scenic highway by the state of Florida.
Read more about this topic: Courtney Campbell Causeway
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