Vision for San Sebastian River bridge

Laurie Sanderson updated Historic City News reporters with copies of the computer generated renderings for the replacement of the San Sebastian River Bridge on US-1 (Ponce de Leon Boulevard) just north of King Street.

The drawings were presented publicly at a “construction open house” held Monday, July 11th in the St. Augustine City Hall commission chambers; together with other project related information

The renderings show the bridge’s anticipated appearance after construction is complete, traffic and pedestrian impacts and other details.

The project team, Archer Western Contractors Ltd. and GAI Consultants, were available to answer questions related to the project.

Construction officially began in June with placement of concrete barrier wall just west of US-1 in preparation for building the embankment starting in mid-July. By September, crews plan to begin reconstructing the medians and removing curb in preparation for shifting the bridge’s four traffic lanes slightly east to accommodate construction of the new bridge.

The new structure will be a four-lane bridge and will include a concrete barrier separating vehicles and pedestrians.

The Florida Department of Transportation contracted with the Design Build team of Archer Western Contractors Ltd. and GAI Consultants to design and replace the San Sebastian River Bridge at a cost of $13.5 million and to complete the project by Spring, 2013. Archer Western Contractors Ltd. and GAI Consultants are also working together to build the new State Road 9B in Duval County. Replacement of the bridge, built in 1960, has been under discussion between FDOT officials and the City of St. Augustine in recent months. The project was accelerated by FDOT to prevent conflicts with the City of St. Augustine’s 450th anniversary.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News – FDOT contributed images