Bridge work plans cause shudders

Business owners in Jupiter area brace for hit during replacement,

JUPITER — Good news for north county boaters, motorists, pedestrians and bicycle riders: A new $120 million drawbridge is planned over the Loxahatchee River just north of Burt Reynolds Park.

Boaters will have a higher bridge to pass under. Motorists won’t have to stop as often to wait for the drawbridge to open and close. Bicycle riders will have seven-foot wide lanes. Pedestrians get eightfoot-wide lanes.

The bad news?

The work on the busy, four-lane drawbridge on U.S. 1 between Jupiter and Tequesta is expected to take three to four years, depending on what construction method is selected by the Jupiter Town Council. Construction is planned to start in July 2021.

“We are working together with the local government to determine which is the best method,” ON FACEBOOK

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said Nadir Rodrigues, the project manager for the Florida Department of Transportation.

Business owners are bracing for a sharp drop in revenue. They want the drawbridge to stay passable the entire time construction

takes place.

“We’re going to get hammered. Small places like us are really going to feel it. My customers will not drive an extra 10-15 minutes for breakfast,” said Ryan Perez, co-owner of the Lighthouse Diner on the Tequesta side of the bridge.

On the Jupiter side, Harbourside Place and the restaurants in the Inlet Village on A1A will take a big hit, said Jim Taube, owner of the U-Tiki and Jetty’s restau- rants. A large portion of that area’s clientele crosses the drawbridge from Stuart and Hobe Sound, he said.

“If they close that bridge, there will be layoffs,” Taube said.

A public hearing on Oct. 24 is planned with state transportation officials to discuss the drawbridge plan.

Three options for bridge construction are being considered:

■ Conventional draw- bridge construction. One lane would be kept open in each direction during drawbridge construction, which would take about 36 months. Overall construction, which includes landscaping, lighting and other work, would be about 48 months. Traffic would be shut down completely in both directions occasionally during off-peak and night hours.

■ Accelerated drawbridge construction. At least one lane in each direction would be kept open during construction, which would take about 45 months. This method would cost more.

■ Shutting down the draw- bridge during construction. The drawbridge would be shut down for about a year. Bridge users would have to use Alternate A1A and Indiantown Road as alternate routes. The advantage to this method is that total construction time would be reduced to 33 months.