Boaters beware: New schedule at Stuart train bridge while fender gets repaired

Boating traffic at the Stuart railroad bridge across the St. Lucie River will be impacted from Oct. 9 through Oct. 27 so that construction crews can repair the northwest bridge fender, a marine safety information bulletin from the U. S. Coast Guard announced Friday.

The fender, a structure that protects the railroad bridge from vessel collisions, was severely damaged at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 30 when a barge traveling north in the Okeechobee Waterway struck it as it attempted to pass through the narrow opening where the railroad drawbridge is. No damaged occurred to the Dixie Highway drawbridge parallel to it.

The construction work will require the drawbridge to be in the down position more frequently and for longer periods than the recent schedule. The work is not expected to impact Brightline passenger train service between Orlando and South Florida or Florida East Coast Railroad freight train schedules.

The Coast Guard bulletin also listed these conditions during the bridge schedule deviation:

• No tug and barge combinations may pass through the bridge

• Vessel traffic may not use passing situations; Must use single file order

• Mariners are to follow on site instructions by construction crews

• Mariners are to obey diver down restrictions

The new temporary bridge schedule will have the drawbridge open for these 15 minute periods:

• 6:55 a.m. to 7:10 a.m.

• 9:55 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.

• 12:55 p.m. to 1:10 p.m.

• 3:55 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.

In addition to fixed periods, the drawbridge will also be open a minimum of 10 minutes every hour to relieve the queue of boats. This opening will vary based on construction and dive operations.

The train companies and the Coast Guard had agreed to begin repairs today, Oct. 7. But a late Friday afternoon request by the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast was able to delay the start of the repair work until Monday when fewer recreational boaters would be passing through the bridge area.

About 5,000 vessels every weekend pass through the railroad bridge every weekend, a 2018 survey commissioned by Martin County found. In June, the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast installed a webcam at Hudson's on the River focused on the drawbridge.

Brightline began passenger service between Orlando and South Florida Sept. 22. On Monday, the schedule ramps up to 30 trains per day, the company announced last week.

When the barge damaged the fender last Saturday, the train companies locked the drawbridge in the down position until the following day. Passenger trains still traveled over the bridge later that day.

Timeline: Brightline service from Miami to Orlando International Airport: Complete timeline of events

Fender damaged: Brightline service continues despite barge collision with railroad bridge fender

The bridge schedule and construction alerts are posted on the new St. Lucie Bridge Schedule app and website that FEC and Brightline launched for mariners in August.

Brightline also communicates information through its website, the X social media platform, and its text alert system, for which you can sign up by texting “STL” to 888-384-0037.

The railroad companies installed electronic message signs on each side of the bridge in August, which are connected to the railroad signal system. The signs display a countdown on when the drawbridge will come down as a train approaches and when it will go up again.

A bridge monitor is stationed in a monitor house the railroad companies built on the tracks. Boaters can contact the bridge monitor from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at VHF Channel 9 or by phone at 772-403-1005.

Ed Killer covers boating for TCPalm. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Boating alert: Stuart railroad bridge repairs to delay boaters again