St. Augustine Record
Saturday May 27, 2000

Temporary bridge one step closer
DOT asks for permit as part of Bridge of Lions restoration
By MARGO C. POPE

The fate of the Bridge of Lions is still unknown but the Florida Department of Transportation is proceeding to work on its recommendation for a restored bridge.

The DOT agency has asked the U.S. Coast Guard for a permit for a temporary bridge that will be necessary as part of the rehabilitation.

The Coast Guard is expected to act on that request next week, said Captain Shapley, bridge administrator for the Coast Guard's Seventh District, Miami.

The DOT sent the request to the Coast Guard earlier this month but, as of Friday, it had not reached Shapley's desk. He said the Miami office received it but it apparently has been misrouted. Hence, Shapley said a review of the temporary bridge application will begin next week after a new package is received from the DOT.

He expects a decision on the temporary bridge permit soon after. Shapley said the ultimate decision on the bridge will not be made in the Seventh District. Rather he said, it will be made by the Federal Highway Administration and the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

"We're a ways off from that," he said.

Before any final decision is made there will be a period of a month for public comment. Another public hearing could be held, too, he said. The first was in June, 1999. Those present supported the restoration three to one.

The temporary bridge is intended to be located north of the existing bridge if the rehabilitation is okayed by the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard.

"We're looking for concurrence with our recommendation," said Joel Glenn, the DOT District 2's environmental engineer.

The DOT has picked Reynolds, Smith & Hills of Jacksonville as the design engineers for the project, which includes the temporary bridge.

Among the projects sub consultants are Kenneth R. Smith and Associates of Jacksonville. Smith, a resident of north St. Johns County has done many restoration projects around St. Augustine, including the light keeper's house.

He said his firm is working on the restoration of the bridge's handrails and the lighting.

The DOT, Glenn said, is reviewing in house the final environmental impact statement. It will be released in a month. It is a compilation of state and federal agencies evaluations of the bridge. It includes assessments of its mechanical and historical aspects.

The bridge was built in 1927. It has been the center of debate for more than a dozen years as residents and local officials have lined up on either side of the question: Should the Bridge of Lions be saved? The DOT's position is that the bridge maintain its present configuration of two lanes with width of 76 feet at the draw.

The St. Augustine City Commission has switched its positions on the bridge in the last seven years. Its current position is for a new bridge. The Coast Guard has said the width for bridges on the Intracoastal Waterway should be 125 feet. But the decision has not been made specifically for the Bridge of Lions.

The Florida Inland Navigational District has reaffirmed its earlier position for the wide-channel option, at125 feet.

David Roach, executive director in Jupiter, said the wide channel option retains the towers but replaces them on new piers.

A proposal for a study of water born traffic under the bridge was proposed for FIND funding and considered it at its April meeting. However the study was rejected, he said.

Theresa Segal, President of the Save Our Bridge group, said she is pleased that the bridge project is moving. She said that the group stays in regular contact with DOT and the Coast Guard.

"Everything seems to be overdue on this as the whole process has been," Segal said. "This bridge needs attention, it needed it yesterday."

She said her group has been invited to make a formal presentation on the bridge on June 28th in Miami to Rear Admiral Thad Allen, the commander of the Seventh District.

Meanwhile, the citizens for a Safe New Bridge have not given up their effort either, said John Daniels. "We still think it is fiscally irresponsible to fix the old bridge. In the long run it is going to cost the taxpayer allot more money," he said.