STUART, Fla. — The City of Stuart has been awarded $79 million in federal funding to replace the aging St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge as part of a massive $5.3 billion nationwide investment in rail safety and infrastructure announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy on Tuesday.
The grant, part of the National Railroad Partnership Program, will fund the replacement of the 100-year-old single-track bridge with a modern double-track structure featuring dramatically improved clearances for boats and vessels navigating the Okeechobee Waterway. Florida received a total of $496 million from the program, with the Stuart bridge project representing the second-largest allocation in the state.
The new bridge will increase horizontal clearance from 50 feet to approximately 90 feet, while vertical clearance will jump from just 6.5 feet to 17.75 feet when in the closed position. These improvements will allow more than 90% of vessels to pass without requiring the bridge to open, significantly reducing delays for marine traffic on the federal navigation channel.
"Anyone who's spent time on the St. Lucie River knows that century-old bridge is too low, sitting at 6 feet, too narrow, and stuck in the closed position more often than it should be," said Congressman Brian Mast. "It's a daily headache for boaters and a safety risk for everyone who shares that corridor."
Stuart / Martin County / Okeechobee
Bridge replacement efforts continue as city seeks additional funding
The bridge serves both Brightline passenger trains and Florida East Coast Railway freight operations, making it a critical piece of infrastructure for the region's transportation network. The replacement project is expected to improve safety, reduce vehicle collisions at grade crossings, and encourage more people to use passenger rail instead of driving.
The Stuart project is part of what the Trump administration is calling the "Golden Age of Rail," with the $5.3 billion investment targeting rail safety upgrades nationwide. The funding will improve over 1,000 grade crossings across the country and close more than 30 dangerous crossings. Grade crossings are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, with more than 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities occurring annually at these intersections.
Other Florida projects receiving funding include $356 million for the Florida Department of Transportation to upgrade up to 910 highway-rail grade crossings statewide, $57 million for a new Brightline station in Cocoa, and $4 million for Jacksonville's Amtrak station relocation project.
The total cost of the Stuart bridge replacement is estimated at $262 million. Combined with a previous $130 million federal grant awarded in 2023, the project now has approximately $209 million in federal funding committed.
Construction timelines and additional project details have not yet been announced by the City of Stuart.
