PALM CITY, Fla. — Starting Monday, the St. Lucie County bridge will be locked in the down position for 21 days affecting boats as Brightline completes its Orlando expansion project.
Brightline crews said in a news release it will "work around the clock, 24/7, to complete the work" by 6 a.m., Monday, May 29.
From April 16 to Friday, the bridge was in the up position and closed to freight traffic as part of the rehabilitation project.
The bridge work is part of plans to begin passenger-rail service this year between Miami and Orlando International Airport. Brightline hopes to have 32 trains a day crossing the bridge.
Ticket sales for the new Brightline service to Orlando will begin in May with service to begin sometime in the summer though officials stopped shy of revealing an exact opening date for trains to begin traveling to and from South Florida.
In February, the U.S. Coast Guard approved the private railroad service's request for temporary modification to drawbridge operations to rehabilitate the 98-year-old railroad bridge that currently is being used for occasional freight service.
The project includes replacement of the mechanical components, electrical and control components and machining of the four trunnions in place. Trunnions are axles on which the drawbridge rotates.
Because of construction work and necessary safety precautions, the bridge will be inoperable and remain in the down position, impacting the drawbridge operations and boats requiring an opening to pass.
Once the work is complete, boaters will see several benefits including dependability of bridge openings and closings, reducing the risk of unplanned closures.
The bridge work is part of efforts before starting service to Orlando, including a real-time bridge opening and closure app, countdown clock at the bridge and a bridge monitor.
“The St. Lucie River bridge represents one of the final construction projects along our Orlando extension,” Michael Cegelis, executive vice president of Rail Infrastructure and Development for Brightline. “This work is necessary to assure that the bascule span can open reliably for marine traffic and close for freight and high-speed passenger rail. The new mechanical and electrical systems will greatly reduce the risk of unplanned closures that would impact all three user groups.”
On Feb. 17, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson told U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fort Pierce in a letter that the agency is allowing Brightline to move forward with the 21-day closure.
“It never stops," Mast said. "This is going to be a major disruption to hundreds of boaters who rely on access to the Intracoastal, not to mention have a huge impact for businesses on both sides of the bridge. I find it hard to believe that this was the best that Brightline could do. Instead, it’s just forced our community to pick the lesser of two evils.”
At least 90,808 vessels passed through the bridge channel from June 2014 through September 2015, according to a boat traffic study Taylor Engineering conducted for Martin County.
The nearby Veterans Memorial Bridge is used for vehicles and is not affected by the Brightline work.