02/16/2023 – UPDATE – The FDOT page (no longer up 11/30/24) had this project (4428912) set to begin in the spring of 2023 and it was to be completed by the summer of 2024. They did NOT call for a full closure of this bridge. You may recall that a section of this bridge in North Palm Beach fell into the canal.
Then, as I understand it, the governor prioritized some propjects thoughout the state but NOT this one which stoped just after they laid out the road cones. The FDOT shows the 14.5M for this project as having been rolled forward in 2025 and being in the CST or construction phase.
Florida DOT paid of the Schwenkee family for some sort of clarification on the right to go over the C-17 that the plans for to replace the US-1 bridge over the C-17 in North Palm Beach by Frigates is moving forward. I got a letter from the Coast Guard as sort of a notice to abutters. THE BRIDGE IS GOING TO REMAIN OPEN DURING CONSTRUCTION. The plans now have the ‘opening’ for a boat to get both wider by about 10′ and taller by about 1.61′ but honestly though, who knows. The CURRENT mean high water clearance of that bridge is a little under 8′. I go under every time I’m out in the boat and I drop my bimini so I can but I can reach over my head and touch the beam no problem. They are reporting that Bridge Clearance is NOW 9.61′ ABOVE MHW. Maybe to the bottom of the deck but not the beams holding it up. The section they provide below shows the ‘Low Member’ Elevation at +11.58 (NAVD) and the MHW at +0.35′. Call it 11′ clear at MHW under the new bridge or 3′ more clearance than the now +/-8′. Someone important must live behind that bridge.
