STUART, Fla. — Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway will perform additional rehabilitation work on the St. Lucie River drawbridge beginning tonight (Friday, Aug. 25), with extended overnight closures Aug. 27-28 and Aug 28-29, in order to complete the work before the start of Brightline service to Orlando, the two rail companies have announced.
To accommodate the work, the U.S. Coast Guard has approved the request for a temporary change to the bridge schedule that went into effect Aug. 15.
Intermittent closures will begin at 9 p.m. tonight through 6 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, but will not exceed 60 consecutive minutes. On Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., the bridge will be open for 10 minutes at the top of each hour. That pattern will repeat Saturday night and Sunday — closures of no more than 60 minutes from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and 10-minute openings at the top of the hour from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The bridge will then remain in the closed position from 11 p.m. on Sunday to 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, and again from 11 p.m. on Monday to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29. This will be followed by intermittent closures on Aug. 30 and 31; on those days, the bridge will be open for 10 minutes at the top of the hour between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.
For mariners, information on bridge closures can be obtained through the drawbridge by Brightline and FEC [see “Brightline, FEC introduce app …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 21, 2023]. Message boards at the bridge also provide countdown information on bridge openings and closings, and a bridge monitor is on site between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
FEC crews spent more than a month earlier this year performing rehab work on the bridge dating to the 1920s [see “FEC begins drawbridge rehabilitation …,” News Wire, April 19, 2023].
It was understood that the earlier work this year was all that was necessary. What has shown up to change that work? Just suspect it might be the trunnions?
The way Brightline and FEC have done this work for the last years cannot believe that they would have waited until the last minute. The original September 1 opening certainly would not have this work scheduled this late. Also, with hurricane season that could have been a reason not to wait to late August.
So, the question is what broke?
The related several days of rehabilitation work on the bridge are naturally essential for the beginning of Brightline service to Orlando.
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