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Structures Design Office - Bridge Name goes here
Existing bridge with piers and traveling gantry alongside Location:
Stuart Florida

Designed by: 
LoBuono, Armstrong, and Associates

Construction Inspection by:
Figg Engineering Group/ Reynolds, Smith, and Hills

Superstructure Const. Engineers:
Finley McNary Engineers, Inc.

 

The New Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart is a twin segmental box girder bridge with over 560,000 square feet of bridge deck. This structure replaces two aging bascule spans, the Northbound which opened in 1934 and the Southbound in 1964. The older span, Northbound, is being removed and taken out approximately seven miles offshore and dumped into the ocean to become an artificial reef. The newer span, Southbound, is being retained for local traffic and is scheduled for a complete rehab when the new bridge is completed.

The project began in April, 1994 and is scheduled for completion in March, 1998. The project is ahead of schedule, and has an opening date of November 1, 1997.

With 1112 segments required for the project, it was necessary to cast the segments in White City (15 miles North) and transport them to the site. Due to the "S" configuration of the bridge, no two segments are the same. This required careful monitoring and close coordination with the contractor's reinforcing and post tensioning operations.

Overhead Gantry ("Elmer")
 Overhead Gantry ("Elmer")
Looking South

Pier reinforcing being placed.
 Pier Construction
Placement of section
 Section Placement

Shore View Looking North
 Shore View Looking North

A 546 foot long fishing pier was constructed at the water line under the bridge connecting Flagler Park and the City Riverwalk. The fishing pier utilizes the bridge footings as fishing platforms with benches, lighting, and decorative railings.

The bridge has several "firsts" in the State of Florida

  • Drainage of the bridge is completely contained inside the bridge via fiberglass pipes where it is then piped to either end into retention ponds.
  • The bridge was built using cantilever type construction with an overhead gantry system ("Elmer"), which was necessary due to the shallowness of the St. Lucie River. The gantry was approximately 430 feet long and 30 feet high which allowed it to complete two spans before having to be moved.
  • The interior is completely open which has allowed a golf cart to be placed inside each bridge for ease of maintenance.
  • A special concrete microsilica mix was used in the high corrosion zone giving the bridge a 75 year lifespan.

 
Overhead Gantry ("Elmer") Overhead Gantry ("Elmer")
Old and New Roosevelt Bridges Old and New Roosevelt Bridges
Looking North
"Elmer" spanning St. Lucie River "Elmer" spanning St. Lucie River
Destroying Bascule Pier Destroying Bascule Pier