Construction to start on $79 million North Causeway Bridge

Construction to start on $79 million North Causeway Bridge

Fort Pierce, Fl (treasurecoast.com) -Construction is one year away for the new North Causeway Bridge, which is set to cost $79 million and take four years to build, Florida Department of Transportation officials announced this week. 

The latest timeline to build the 85-foot high bridge with its 125-foot-wide clearance for boats was slightly delayed. In May, officials said, construction was to begin this fall, but that has moved out to January 2022. Construction is expected to take four years.

The bridge is to replace the 1963 drawbridge, which is structurally deficient. The existing bridge has a 25-foot vertical clearance when closed and a 90-foot horizontal clearance for marine traffic.

There had been public sentiment for a higher, single-span bridge that allows sailboats and other boats less than 85 feet tall to pass under. 

The new bridge is to have separate pathways for cars, bikes and pedestrians. It will cross the Intracoastal Waterway, the Florida East Coast Railway tracks and Old Dixie Highway. 

The first phase will extend Juanita Avenue and Sunny Lane, while improving U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway. The second phase will include constructing Marina Access Road for the causeway. 

The bridge will be 4,153 feet long and include a 300-foot long observation deck and an 800-foot ramp for the East Coast Greenway below. 

FDOT plans to continue to repair the existing drawbridge deck so it can remain functional in the interim five years, officials said Wednesday. It expects to maintain pedestrian access across the Intracoastal.

Fishing on the new bridge initially will be prohibited, FDOT officials said, but that could change.

FDOT has been planning the new bridge since 2015.