|
St. Augustine Record Flat tire slows Bridge of Lions renovation
A flat tire slowed down the Bridge of Lions renovation Friday. The bridge -- or at least two 105-foot-long sections of it -- was on the move when the tractor-trailer hauling the sections had a flat tire. The flat tire caused the 55-ton sections to shift slightly, and the driver pulled to the side of U.S. 1 South. The sections were on their way to Plant City where a company will work on them as part of the Bridge of Lions' rehabilitation project. Workers reinforced the sections' connection to the trailer before the tractor-trailer could continue on to south Florida. It's the latest in the saga of the renovation of the bridge which has been a part of St. Augustine since 1927. St. Johns County residents rallied round the bridge when proposals were made to tear it down and replace it with a new structure. In the end, state officials agreed to rehabilitate the Bridge of Lions. A temporary bridge, north of the Bridge of Lions, will be used for the next three-to-four years while work on the old bridge is under way. The $76-million project will include widening the bridge lanes to 11 feet and putting up a barrier to separate sidewalks from vehicles. The bridge's lights and railings will be replicas of the originals from 1927. The originals were changed in the 1970s.
|