A Bridge Only A Billionaire Could Love

If the commission approves the Apogee bridge over Kanner Highway, it will be a sad day for our county.

The farms and ranches fronting Kanner Highway and Bridge Road in western Martin County will soon all but disappear. It is economics and the citrus blight which has caused this outcome. That is the main reason I believed in Rural Lifestyle. It preserved the country character of the area while allowing the landowners the ability to develop their property.

Contrary to what some people believe, once farming and ranching were no longer economically viable, the land was not going to remain undeveloped. There were two main ways to develop it. Either by building thousands of cookie cutter homes a la St Lucie County or a few high-end ones attached to a golf course. I know which one I preferred. The options about doing nothing or ranchettes were never going to happen.

A main concern of mine and others, like Commissioner Hetherington, was to make sure development could not be seen from the road. At the time of the project’s approval, Apogee (or Three Lakes as it is known) promised they would heavily plant the roadsides and build up the berms to honor that commitment of keeping the rural character of the road. They have done just that.

As part of the application, they wanted to build a tunnel for golf carts under Kanner Highway to connect both sides of their property which consists of no homes but three golf courses and amenities including golf cottages. Last year, I discovered they wanted to use state funds to build the tunnel and did my best to bring it to the attention of the public and the funding was subsequently killed.

At the time, Three Lakes said they would pay for the tunnel. I guess it became too expensive so now they are proposing a bridge over the roadway. It would accommodate autos and golf carts.

I heard it would only be 12 feet high. I don’t know whether that is true or not, but if so, it would curb the ability of tractor trailers to use that road. The marine industries would then be unable to ferry boats from the western yards to the IRL. What about Indiantown? A vital transportation hub would be severed.

Even if it were taller and most transportation would fit under the bridge, what does it do to the footprint needed on both sides of the highway. There would be massive infrastructure. What is going on here?

Lastly and most importantly, the point is that the rural character of the road disappears. All for the sake of a bridge because the billionaire developers of the club are too cheap to build their tunnel without government money. And if that is the case, how about just a plain old road crossing with stop signs for safety?

I can’t believe the Martin County Commission will approve this. It is hubris on the part of the owners of Three Lakes to think that it will be approved. They said they wanted to be good neighbors. Their actions have not proven that out.