Port St. Lucie - A new fixed bridge spanning the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Lucie County opened to traffic Friday morning, replacing a aging drawbridge that had long snarled commutes and marine traffic alike.
The Florida Department of Transportation opened the new State Road A1A North Causeway Bridge at 8 a.m., calling it a major milestone for the Fort Pierce area community.
The high-level structure clears the waterway by 85 feet vertically and 125 feet horizontally — enough headroom that boats no longer need to wait for a drawbridge to swing open. That change, transportation officials say, will cut delays for both drivers on land and vessels on the water.
The bridge connects S.R. A1A to U.S. 1, crossing not just the Intracoastal but also the Florida East Coast Railroad and Old Dixie Highway. Each direction carries one 12-foot travel lane, and the structure was built with active transportation in mind: cyclists get 7-foot buffered bike lanes on both sides, pedestrians have an 8-foot sidewalk on the south side, and a 12-foot shared-use path runs along the north side.
An observation deck tucked beneath the west end of the bridge is also part of the design, though it will remain closed while construction continues.
Not everything is open yet. The bike lanes and the north-side shared-use path will stay closed for now as work continues, and pedestrians will be directed to the south sidewalk in the meantime. The old drawbridge will be permanently closed to vehicles and demolished as part of the project's final phase. The full project is expected to wrap up in late 2027.
FDOT also extended Juanita Avenue to connect U.S. 1 with Old Dixie Highway, and added a new access road beneath the bridge for businesses on the east side of the railroad tracks — details that reflect months of community input the agency says shaped the final design.