The City of Stuart has been awarded $79 million in federal funding to replace the aging St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge as part of a massive $5.3 billion nationwide investment in rail safety and infrastructure announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy on Tuesday.
The grant, part of the National Railroad Partnership Program, will fund the replacement of the 100-year-old single-track bridge with a modern double-track structure featuring dramatically improved clearances for boats and vessels navigating the Okeechobee Waterway. Florida received a total of $496 million from the program, with the Stuart bridge project representing the second-largest allocation in the state.
The new bridge will increase horizontal clearance from 50 feet to approximately 90 feet, while vertical clearance will jump from just 6.5 feet to 17.75 feet when in the closed position. These improvements will allow more than 90% of vessels to pass without requiring the bridge to open, significantly reducing delays for marine traffic on the federal navigation channel…