Coast Guard set new schedule for Stuart railroad bridge. Why isn't FEC following it?

Ed Killer, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·4 min read
1

The years-long saga of the railroad drawbridge in Stuart has a new chapter this week. The story about who, how and when the railroad bridge will open or close has more twists and turns than the St. Lucie River.

The conflict pits Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway — two train companies that need the bridge to cross the St. Lucie River — against several thousand recreational, commercial and industrial vessels that travel through the railroad bridge to get up and down the river.

When the bridge is down for a train, it is so low to the water — 6 feet — that most boats cannot pass underneath. When the bridge is up, boats can pass through easily, but obviously no trains can cross the bridge.

A work barge can be seen at the St. Lucie River railroad bridge in February 2023.
A work barge can be seen at the St. Lucie River railroad bridge in February 2023.

Why is Stuart railroad bridge a problem?

The Coast Guard established a new schedule for the drawbridge, but it appears FEC is not adhering to it.

FEC, the bridge owner, is supposed to:

  • Open the bridge for boats at 15 and 45 minutes after the hour for a minimum of 15 minutes

  • Hire a bridge tender to record train and boat activity in a logbook

  • Develop cell phone app that explains when the bridge is up or down, similar to one they created for the New River drawbridge in Fort Lauderdale.

The train companies said the Coast Guard's new schedule and requirements will hurt their businesses. Fifteen marine businesses upstream filed a lawsuit claiming closures exceeding 30 minutes will hurt their businesses.

Train company is not following the schedule

Boating interests largely said they can live with the new schedule the Coast Guard announced June 8. It's only temporary, until Dec. 17, so the agency can collect enough data to establish a permanent new schedule.

But Brightline, speaking for FEC, opposes the schedule, according to emails sent to me. The company also sent me maps showing where two-mile-long freight trains would have to stage, which would block roadway crossings in downtown Stuart and through Rio north of the bridge.

As of June 21, FEC does not appear to be following the schedule, and has not returned TCPalm's emails and phone calls seeking comment.

The bridge is mostly up, only coming down for a passing freight train, according to a high-definition video camera the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast installed and aimed at the intersection of the bridge and waterway.

Here's why that's a problem.

Does the railroad and boater traffic data matter?

If the Coast Guard is not collecting accurate data for the intersection, how will it make an educated decision to inform a permanent schedule for the drawbridge? And if it defers to the train companies' demands, how will boat traffic ever travel smoothly through the bridge?

The Coast Guard is accepting public comment on the bridge schedule through Aug. 4.

But the Coast Guard seems to be in denial, based on a statement it sent to me June 26.

"Exceptions to the schedule … are still valuable data points to inform a future rulemaking decision which results in a new permanent operating schedule," according to a prepared statement from spokesperson Hansel Pintos.

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fort Pierce, said he does not understand why the Coast Guard isn't acting. He is concerned the current activity doesn't reflect reality, which may not provide the necessary information to develop a permanent schedule, his legislative aide, AnnMarie Graham-Barnes, told me in an email.

High water woes: Will Army Corps start Lake Okeechobee discharges to St. Lucie River despite toxic algae?

Schedule begins: Railroad bridge begins new temporary opening schedule affecting Brightline and boaters

What's more, the Dixie Highway bridge is not synchronized with the railroad bridge, according to Dan Romence of Indiantown Marine, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed May 1 against the FEC and Coast Guard.

"I want to know why the bridge regulation was not applied, if there was any public notice about the delay, and how all of this affects the comment period that is currently open until Aug. 4," Romence said in an email to me. "Brightline has released information that they will not operate their expanded passenger service to Orlando until Sept. 1, which is almost a full month after" the Coast Guard closes the comment period.

However, having the bridge open most of the time "is a better fit for the marine industry and road traffic, so we have not filed any complaint," he said.

"The handling of this issue seems to undermine the ability of the [Coast Guard] to effectively apply bridge regulation to a railroad drawbridge in the face of a railroad," Romence wrote.

It's time for the Coast Guard to enforce its own schedule. What's the point in having regulations if they aren't enforced? Otherwise, we're never going to know if a permanent railroad bridge schedule is ever going to work.

Ed Killer is a columnist with TCPalm. This is his opinion. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: FEC not following Coast Guard's new Stuart railroad bridge schedule