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St.
Augustine
Record DOT:
REHAB
BRIDGE
Next:
Impact
study,
approval
stage Using the Bridge of Lions as a backdrop, the Florida Department of Transportation announced this morning that it recommends the 72-year-old structure be rehabilitated. The announcement follows years of controversy over whether to rehabilitate or replace the historic bridge. Clapping from a relatively small crowd gathered in the Plaza de la Constitucion erupted after the announcement. “We are very excited and pleased. I think they made the right decision for St. Augustine to preserve this national treasure,” said Theresa Segal, Save Our Bridge committee president. The DOT chose Option 1A from four options listed in the draft environmental impact statement, which included two rehabilitation and two replacement options. The 1A option means the DOT will rehabilitate the bridge by removing the deck and railing. The bascule or drawbridge span will remain the same. Horizontal clearance for boats will also remain the same at 76 feet. The travel lanes will be widened from 10 feet to 11 feet. Sidewalks will remain at 5 feet wide; however, a safety barrier will be added between the lanes and sidewalks. The cost will be $27 million. The Thursday morning announcement is not the final decision. “Today is just our announcement. And we recommend that the bridge stay as it is,” said Huey Hawkins, DOT district secretary. Next, DOT will write the final environmental impact statement. That will be reviewed by state and federal agencies, which include the U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Highway Administration. It will take six to nine months for the impact statement to be finalized, said Hawkins. Hawkins said it is possible the option will be opposed by the Coast Guard during this process. No one from the Coast Guard attended the announcement. If the option is approved, officials will review design plans with the help of other agencies and residents. That’s expected to take two years. Therefore, said Hawkins, it will be three to four years before construction begins on a rehabilitated bridge. Eddy Mussallem, a representative of A Safe New Bridge Inc., said he wasn’t surprised by the announcement. “Really and truly, I think the DOT bowed to the pressure of certain residents,” he said. DOT recently finished collecting comments on the Bridge of Lions. The comment period for the Bridge of Lions, on whether to replace it or restore it, ended July 7. The collected information is available at the St. Johns County Library and the DOT office at 110 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. The current bridge opened in 1927, connecting the downtown area with Anastasia Island. It replaced a wooden bridge built in 1895. In February, DOT released the draft environmental impact statement, the result of eight years of study on the bridge by various governmental agencies. That statement didn’t make any recommendations. Instead, it listed several replacement and restoration options. The other rehabilitation option is: - 1B: This option is said to be identical to 1A with the exception of the horizontal clearance for navigation. Option 1B provides a wider clearance of 151 feet, which means removing everything including the span. The only original part saved would be the piers. Cost: $25.7 million. The two replacement options are: - 2A: Replace the bridge with another bascule bridge, keeping the aesthetic/historic look. The bridge would be built south of the original. It would include 12-foot-wide lanes, 10-foot-wide shoulders and 5-foot-wide sidewalks. It will also be eight feet higher to keep counter weights dry. Cost: $24.6 million. - 2B: Replace the bridge the same as above but in the same location. A temporary bridge would be built to be used during construction. Cost $27.4 million. |