FDOT to Host Open House for Southern Boulevard ICWW Bridge Replacement Project

West Palm Beach – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is holding an informal open house to discuss the upcoming project to replace the State Road 80/Southern Boulevard Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway and the adjacent Tide Relief Bridge. The open house will be held Wednesday, March 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, Community Meeting Room, 112 Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
The project includes:  

     Building a temporary bridge on the north side of the existing bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway to minimize traffic impacts during construction of the replacement bridge
     Replacing the existing moveable bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway with a two-lane moveable bridge with 12-foot-wide travel lanes. The new bridge will be built on the same alignment as the existing bridge. Also, the new bridge will provide 21 feet of vertical clearance and 125 feet of horizontal clearance between the fenders for vessels.
     Replacing the Tide Relief Bridge with a similar two-lane bridge located parallel to and slighting south of the existing bridge. The new Tide Relief Bridge will provide approximately 11 feet of vertical clearance and 48 feet of horizontal clearance for vessels.

• Building 10-foot-wide shoulders, which will accommodate bicyclists, and six-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides of both bridges 
• Building a new left-turn lane from the ICWW bridge onto Flagler Avenue Building roadway and drainage improvements along Southern Boulevard, Flagler Drive and the Post Memorial Causeway 
• Enhancing parking areas, revising median access, paving the shoulders, installing new sidewalks, and upgrading the signs and pavement markings along the Post Memorial Causeway 
• Installing mast arm traffic signals at the Southern Boulevard intersections with Washington Road and Flagler Drive 
• Upgrading the roadway lighting system through the project limits 
• Installing infrastructure at the intersection of Church Street for potential future signalization

This project is currently being designed. Construction is anticipated to begin in Summer 2016 and to be completed in approximately three years. The estimated construction cost is $78 million.

No formal presentation will be made during the open house, attendees may come and go at their convenience. Project plans and diagrams will be on display and FDOT staff will be on hand throughout the open house to discuss the project and answer questions.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status.

Persons that require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or require translation services (free of charge) should contact Ms. Vania Saini, P.E., FDOT Design Project Manager, at least seven days before the open house. She can be reached by phone at 954-777-4468 or toll free at 1-866-336-8435 ext. 4468 or email at Vanita.Saini@dot.state.fl.us.