South Beach Bridge Reconfiguration from St. Lucie TPO

The St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization presented information on the South Causeway Bridge Reconfiguration Study today at the Riverwalk Center in Fort Pierce. About 60 residents attended, and the discussion was often spirited. Most attendees did not favor reducing the number of lanes on South Beach bridge for safety, traffic or evacuation reasons. Several bridge walkers and cyclists attended and gave testimony about the safety hazards of walking and riding bicycles currently on the South Bridge. Many attendees spoke against the reconfiguration because of the $1 million rough cost estimate, especially now during the economic downturn. The St. Lucie TPO has information on its website on this proposal.: http://www.stluciempo.org/. Commissioners Edward W. Becht and Reginald Sessions serve on the TPO from the City of Fort Pierce. Commissioners Rufus Alexander and Tom Perona are alternates.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/sep/17/residents-argue-for-against-south-causeway-plan/

Residents argue for, against South Causeway Bridge plan in Fort Pierce

By Cathy S. Reeder Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers

Saturday, September 17, 2011

FORT PIERCE — More than 75 local residents and bridge users debated an early conceptual plan to rebuild the South Causeway Bridge on Saturday at the River Walk Center in Fort Pierce.

"It was a great meeting with great ideas, and we'll go back and consider each of them," said Peter Buchwald, executive director of St. Lucie County Transportation Planning Organization, which sponsored the two-hour public input meeting. "We're very early in the planning stages on this."

The plan would turn the current four-lane bridge with 4-foot barricaded sidewalks into a two-lane bridge with barricaded 12.5-foot bike/pedestrian lanes. During hurricane or nuclear evacuations, the bike/pedestrian lanes would be used for vehicle evacuation and emergency vehicles, transportation planners said.

That roughly $1 million configuration is the safest when vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists use the bridge at the same time, said Kimley-Horn traffic engineer Stewart Robinson.

Robinson said the local roads leading to the causeway already are two-lane, and making the causeway two lanes at current traffic levels would place it at 75 percent capacity.

Some residents were not convinced.

"I think we're going backwards instead of forwards if we're taking four lanes down to two on the bridge," said Mike Greene, a 39-year resident of South Beach. "Why would we make a lot of people suffer to give a very few people these improvements?"

He defined "suffering" as sitting through several traffic lights with no way around fender benders or to let ambulances get by, or to deal with other everyday traffic problems.

A younger resident countered that thought. "I would be one less car in that man's traffic jam if it were safe to come over the bridge on my bike," said Lorae Simpson, 25, of South Beach. "I want to ride my bike to work, but it isn't safe the way it is. I like this plan."

Planner Lisa Frezier of Kimley-Horne said current cyclist and pedestrian use of the bridge is not an adequate measure of who would use the facility once it's safer and easier to use. She also said the local economy would feel a direct positive impact from connecting more modes of transportation between Hutchinson Island to downtown Fort Pierce.

Peter Harrison, a land manager, argued a differing point. "It's not right to shift the use of this bridge when people in the condos there paid tens of thousands in taxes and development fees to build the four lanes. They want to use their cars to get to restaurants and movies and shopping. They don't want to use bicycles."

Cyclist Charlie Hayek, a South Beach resident, saw the project as more than a local issue. "We are trying to reduce our carbon footprint. We're trying to get people out of their cars, and ride bikes and walk," he said.

TO SHARE YOUR OPINION

The public input period for the South Causeway Bridge continues through early November. Send your written comments, along with your name, address, and (optional) phone number, to:

definie@stlucieco.org

St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization

2300 Virginia Ave.

Fort Pierce, FL 34982

772-462-2549 fax