Elisha Newton "Cap" Dimick, a former
state senator and first mayor of Palm Beach, built the original Royal Park Bridge as a wooden structure in 1911. He named the bridge after a housing project he was developing in Palm Beach called the Royal Park Addition. The toll was 25 cents per vehicle and 5 cents per pedestrian. In 1919, Palm Beach County purchased the bridge for $40,000. Two years later, the county intended to replace the bridge with a concrete span. However, two days prior to its scheduled opening, the bridge collapsed. A two-lane concrete replacement of the original bridge finally opened on August 11, 1924. This incarnation of the Royal Park Bridge suffered severe damage during the
1928 Okeechobee hurricane, including to its west approach, draw span, wiring, and protective
fenders, some of which were completely removed. However, temporary repairs, including the addition of wood and dirt fill-in, allowed vehicular and boat traffic to resume less than two weeks after the storm. The entirety of the original 1911 bridge was replaced in 1959. During that time, the county added two lanes along the south side of the bridge and installed two drawbridges, at a cost of around $1.5 million. This bridge remained in use for about 40 years, until the discovery of
wood borers led to its condemnation in 1998. In December of the following year, a temporary bridge opened, constructed at a cost of $13 million. == Current structure ==