A New Stuart Train Bridge
Congressman Brian Mast announced that all the funding needed for the new railroad bridge over the St. Lucie in downtown Stuart is much closer to reality thanks to a $130,500,000.00 USDOT-MPDG grant.
The final price tag of the now $218,000,000 bridge finally has all the elements they will need to have the nearly 100-year-old structure replaced. Stuart and the Florida Inland Navigational District applied for the federal portion along with a state grant of 25,500,000 that Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) applied for. The combined grants will be 72% of the total cost. The rest of the cost may have additional grants and will be picked up by FECR.
The marine industry and boaters will be large beneficiaries of the new bridge since at least 80% of boats will be able to navigate through the closed bridge. The horizontal span will increase to 90 feet from its current 50 feet. The height will be the same as the existing “old” Rosevelt Bridge on Dixie Highway.
Brightline and FECR will now have a dependable operating system. It will also be double tracked which will alleviate stacking. The new bridge will take until the end of 2027 to construct and demolition of the old one will begin as soon as construction is finished.
The real winners are Martin County residents…especially those living in Stuart. When completed, the fear of trains blocking road crossings throughout Stuart because of the old bridge’s failure to close will be greatly reduced. Emergency vehicles will be able to deliver patients to the emergency room, answer fire calls, and have police respond in a timely manner.
Everyone deserves some praise. Congressman Mast for championing the grant. Our Florida legislative delegation (Senator Harrell, Representatives John Snyder, and Toby Overdorf) for bringing the state grant to fruition. Past City Manager, David Dyess, for doing the preliminary work. The city commission for helping champion the cause.
The real unsung hero is current City Manager Mike Mortell for his tireless devotion to bringing it all together. He worked the phones and his personal contacts ceaselessly to make this happen. Stuart is in a much better place to go on another hundred years because of the new rail infrastructure. Now for the prize of having a rail station.
