Are those elephants on the causeway? Take a look at how we used to cross Biscayne Bay

What would we do without causeways in Miami? Soaring across Biscayne Bay makes South Florida feel like paradise. (Well, if you ignore the traffic and the speeders and the construction.)

In 1913, John Collins built the first link between the mainland and Miami Beach: the Collins Bridge. Twelve years later, the wooden span was replaced by the Venetian Causeway, which connects 15th Street in Miami to Dade Boulevard on the Beach.

The MacArthur Causeway was built in 1920 and rebuilt in 1959. The drawbridge was replaced by a soaring fixed span from 1993-96.

The 79th Street Causeway, also known as the John F. Kennedy Causeway, opened in 1928 and was rebuilt in 1948. The bridge was widened and bolstered in the late 1960s and early 1970s but since then has needed only minor repairs.

Then came the Rickenbacker Causeway in 1947, linking Miami, Virginia Key and Key Biscayne.

The Julia Tuttle Causeway opened in 1961, linking 36th Street in Miami with 41st Street in Miami Beach, and drivers deserted the Venetian. Like the MacArthur, south of the Venetian, the Tuttle didn’t charge a toll. The Tuttle had another benefit: No drawbridges to slow traffic.

Let’s dip into the Miami Herald’s photo archives to see Miami’s causeways through the years:

Venetian Causeway

MacArthur Causeway

79th Street Causeway

Rickenbacker Causeway

Julia Tuttle Causeway