A 7.2-mile earthen causeway follows a natural sand bar from this shore area to the northern tip of Antelope Island, separating Farmington Bay on the south from the main body of the lake. The original road, constructed by Davis County, was completed in 1969, when Antelope Island was designated as a state park, and picnic and swimming facilities were built at Bridger Bay as tourism blossomed through 1981. In the early 1980s, unprecedented rainfall in northern Utah raised the lake from 4,198 feet above sea level to a historic high of 4,212 feet in three years, submerging the causeway under eight feet of water and closing the island to the public, though a unique vehicle called a Gamma-goat was used to drive to the island during the flood years. In 1990 and 1991, pressure mounted on the state legislature to rebuild the causeway and reopen the park, and Davis County agreed to build and maintain it as part of the county road system with state construction money, making it Utah's first modern toll road, with revenues offsetting construction and maintenance costs. Using new technology and designs, construction was completed and the new causeway was dedicated October 31, 1993. Antelope Island State Park became one of northern Utah's favorite tourist attractions, and the differing water colors on either side of the causeway reflect differences in salt content between Farmington Bay and the lake's main body.