The Sunshine Bridge was given its name by then Governor James Davis, who happened to be the author of popular song called "You are my sunshine". This bridge was built as the classic bridge to nowhere, given that there was little population or economic activity on either side of the river. While it looked like the only traffic over the bridge when it was first opened was sugar cane trucks, it was hoped that this would be part of a larger highway project called the Acadian Throughway. Since the bridge opened, the economy in this area has grown by leaps and bounds, largely due to the better transportation.