The Dauphin Island Bridge—officially named the Gordon Persons Bridge—stretches about 17,814 feet (3.37 miles) across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, connecting Alabama’s mainland to Dauphin Island along State Route 193.
In addition to its overall length, the bridge has several other notable measurements:
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Main span length: 400 feet across the navigational channel.
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Vertical clearance: about 80 feet, allowing ships and barges to pass beneath.
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Width: 56 feet, providing room for two traffic lanes and safety shoulders.
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Opened: 1982, after construction began in the late 1970s.
The bridge is not only a critical lifeline for residents and visitors but also an engineering landmark—it was one of the earliest large-scale uses of precast concrete segmental construction in the United States.
For the full story of how the bridge was designed, built, and its role in shaping the island’s growth, see our dedicated post: Dauphin Island Bridge: History.