USDOT announced the award of an $78.9 million grant to the City of Stuart to rebuild the St. Lucie River Bridge. The grant will allow for the replacement of the existing 100-year-old St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge with a new double-track structure with significantly improved vertical and horizontal navigational clearances. The bridge serves both Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railway, supporting the daily movement of passenger and freight rail traffic while enhancing marine traffic flow on the Okeechobee Waterway, a federal navigation channel.

Modernizing this important rail crossing will increase safety and fluidity for marine traffic, decrease the potential for blocked grade crossings and vehicle collisions, and shift single occupancy vehicles to safer passenger rail travel. Additionally, the replacement of the 100-year-old existing bridge with a new structure will result in lower operations and maintenance costs.

Horizontal clearance will be increased from 50 feet to approximately 90 feet and vertical clearance to Mean High Water (MHW) will be increased from 6.5 feet to approximately 17.75 feet in the closed (down) position, allowing more than 90 percent of vessels to pass with the bridge in the closed (down) position.

The full cost of the bridge replacement is estimated at $262 million. This grant combines with an already committed $130 million grant from USDOT from 2023 making this project possible.

-via Press Release