Our neighborhood will soon have new addition. We look forward to the completion of a newly designed bridge located just South of Mayan Drive and North of Marion Drive. This bridge was built in 1952, rehabilitated in 1968 and presently in dire need of repair.
The city of Ft Lauderdale has hired Lakes Engineering to redesign the bridge to accommodate rising tides and larger boats. There are several options being discussed for designs that will meet the needs of the community both practically and aesthetically. Lakes Engineering has invited the neighborhood to provide input for design ideas.
Representatives from Harbor Beach, Harbour Inlet, Breakwater, Lago Mar, and several of the condos in our neighborhood attended a presentation September 18, 2018. Lakes Engineering presented preliminary plan options. They were open to concerns and ideas that the residents expressed.
At a previous meeting there was strong support expressed for raising the bridge clearance which has been agreed to. Three options were presented and the group chose the option which would Lower speed limit to 20 MPH allowing for greater clearance of about 2 feet.
In addition they will go from 4 spans (current) to three, which will widen the channel (to about 30’) and increase clearance a bit more since boats will be able to utilize the center of the span rather than be offset to north or south.
The construction is projected to begin in a year. Depending on the method of construction related to the traffic pattern, it would take 1 year to 18 months to complete. Options for traffic control were discussed. The bridge can be closed for the period of construction, which will speed up the job, or it can be built in sections, leaving one bridge lane open during the project.
The engineers asked for feedback on the design and it was unanimously decided to keep the barriers open to the view as opposed to solid walls that would obstruct the water view. The design is supposed to be 90% complete in December.
Harbour Inlet has consistently raised concerns about the increased traffic that would likely result through our neighborhood. This will continue to be addressed though no satisfactory solution has been proposed to date.
Without a doubt, we will require patience through the construction process due to a disruption of the traffic patterns. I believe that we can adapt to the inconvenience to benefit from the result. It will be a beautiful change in our community.