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Engineers present 30% designs for Sample Road and 31st Court bridges; Army Corps permitting could add a year
Summary
Consultants told commissioners the two Lighthouse Point bridges are at 30% design, will raise vertical clearance slightly, and will use temporary bridges and barges during construction; an Army Corps permit has been submitted and the firm warned that permitting "can take up to a year."
Engineers updated the Lighthouse Point City Commission on Aug. 12 about the 30% design for the Sample Road and 31st Court bridge replacement projects and what residents can expect during construction.
Jerry Piccolo, who led the presentation, said the 30% design establishes the roadway and bridge geometry and allows the team to analyze constructability and phasing. "We've completed the initial phase design. That's our 30% design," Piccolo said, and added the firm has modeled hurricane storm surge and hydraulic flows to set bridge elevations and clearances.
Piccolo said the design raises clearance under the bridges by only a few inches in places but increases main span width on the Sample Road structure from roughly 17'0 feet to about 24 feet to allow two-way boat traffic. He described using a temporary, modular bridge to maintain island access during pile and foundation work and showed renderings of a staged three-phase construction sequence.
On environmental constraints, Piccolo reported an underwater seagrass survey found only "minimal seagrass, but it's like trace seagrass," and that the team has submitted Army Corps permit materials for the Sample Road project. He cautioned the Corps process can be lengthy: "the Army Corps permitting, that can be a very long process," and later said permitting has in prior projects taken "up to a year." Commissioners asked about traffic control, temporary signal timing, barge and crane staging in the canals, and the potential for weight restrictions; Piccolo said the temporary structures are built to highway loading and the new bridges will be "fully non-posted."
The presentation concluded with staff and the consultant committing to one-on-one outreach to adjacent homeowners followed by broader public meetings to gather input on landscaping, vessel access during construction and traffic impacts. The commission did not take action at the meeting beyond receiving the report.
