Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation

Bridging the Character Gap (Foresight, Winter 1997)

Bridges are symbolic structures in many Florida communities -- tangible reminders of the inextricable link between land and sea. But in some places, plans are on the table to replace older bridges, often with mammoth structures that are out of scale with the character -- and needs -- of the communities they serve.

In Sarasota, for example, the Florida Department of Transportation is proposing replacing the Ringling Causeway Bridge, constructed in 1958, with a structure that would rise the equivalent of eight stories in height, and be wider and steeper than the Sunshine Skyway. Opponents have noted that, "this structure would destroy the heart of Sarasota's bay front, one of our most powerful attractions." 1000 Friends Board Member Mary Kumpe agrees: "Sarasota is a distinctive community, and it deserves better than this."

Across the state, St. Augustine is battling the proposed demolition of the Bridge of Lions. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this landmark Mediterranean Revival bridge was recognized by the Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the two most significant bridges built in Florida in the 1920s. Charles Tingley of St. Augustine's Save Our Bridge Committee, argues, "Not only is this bridge an important historic landmark in its own right, but it also serves as a major gateway for traffic entering our historic district."

The Committee worked with the Florida Department of Transportation to successfully develop plans to remodel the St. Augustine bridge consistent with historic standards -- and at a cost lower than replacement. But the project stalled when the Coast Guard indicated it would not approve a permit for the bridge unless the spans were widened significantly to provide very generous leeway for increasingly large barges. Says Tingley, "Now we're faced with a proposal for a new bridge that is not at all sensitive to our community's historic character and scale. " He adds, "The current spans are wide enough to accommodate large barges. Unfortunately, the Coast Guard has not been receptive to compromise, such as installing a better fender system."

The arguments in favor of new, often high level, bridge construction include cost and safety. Traffic engineer and 1000 Friends of Florida Board Member Tim Jackson says, "Safety is paramount and we have to be concerned about costs, but the issues are not as black and white as they appear." As an example, high bridges must be closed down in high winds, making them unsuitable for hurricane evacuation in late storm stages. Jackson continues, "Community character is a valid consideration, and must be a factor in the equation."

1000 Friends of Florida is following the issue of bridge replacements in Florida, and hopes to promote policy changes at the state and possibly the federal level. If your community is struggling with this issue, please call Tim Jackson at (407) 843-6552.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Foresight, Spring 1999)

In the article "Bridging the Character Gap" in our Winter 1997 Foresight, 1000 Friends of Florida reported on the need for a comprehensive state policy regarding bridge replacement. From St. Augustine to Sarasota, communities are struggling with the land use and aesthetic concerns of replacing older, often historic bridges with higher fixed-span bridges that may accommodate more traffic but impact community character.

Under the leadership of Board Member Tim Jackson, 1000 Friends has successfully obtained a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to conduct a one-day symposium to draft a state bridge replacement policy. To ensure interagency support, we are also seeking funding from the Florida Department of State and the Florida Department of Community Affairs. Mr. Jackson's transportation planning firm of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart, Inc., has committed in-kind services to this project.

Within the next year, the professionally-facilitated symposium will bring together experts and community representatives to fully explore all sides of the issue. The culminating activity will be the development of a state policy for bridge replacement that effectively considers and responds to community concerns as well as being financially sound. We believe that, in the long run, such a well-thought-out policy could increase citizen involvement in the planning process and reduce the level of contention over many of this state's bridge projects. For further information, please contact Tim Jackson at (407) 843-6552.

Successful Bridge Symposium Held in Orlando (Foresight, Winter 1999)

By Dan Pennington

Concerned citizens, government representatives, and transportation experts from across the state attended 1000 Friends of Florida's Bridge Symposium, held in Orlando on November 4th and 5th. The goal was to reduce the level of contention over bridge repair and replacement projects by improving this state's policies and procedures to better take into account community design and historic preservation concerns.

A panel, including representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation, Coast Guard, Florida Department of State and a Metropolitan Planning Organization, described the current process for bridge rehabilitation and replacement. Next, Mr. Joseph J. Pullaro, P.E., from the New Jersey firm of A.G. Lichtenstein & Associates and Mr. Tim Jackson of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart, Inc., provided case studies on such projects from around the nation and the state.

Symposium participants then broke into four facilitated groups which discussed community impacts and preservation of historic bridges, evaluating the range of alternatives, the long range planning process, and bridge design issues. These topics had been identified through a survey sent out prior to the symposium. Each group hammered out a series of policy and procedural recommendations for improvement, which are being incorporated in a final report.

When finalized, the report will then be forwarded to the symposium participants and other interested parties. Each of the sponsoring agencies, including the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of State, Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has agreed to continue to work toward the implementation of these recommendations. At the symposium, consensus emerged that a lot of the contention over bridge repair and replacement may be alleviated through earlier involvement in the process by affected parties.

If you would like more information on the symposium results, visit our web page at http://www.1000fof.usf.edu or call us at (850) 222-6277.

Bridge Symposium Report Released (Foresight, Spring 2000)

Honoring community concerns such as historic preservation and compatibility are some of the issues addressed in a series of recommendations to improve bridge repair and replacement policies and procedures in Florida. 1000 Friends' Florida Bridge Symposium, held in Orlando on November 4 and 5, 1999, brought into focus these and other important issues. Based on earlier surveys and research, four focus areas were identified for the symposium aimed at improving current practices. These included community input and historical significance, long-range planning, design and coordination, and evaluating bridge alternatives.

At the symposium, concerned citizens, local and state government representatives, and transportation experts formed four focus groups to develop recommendations. Then all the participants reconvened to rank the recommendations, selecting eleven as their top priorities. These included expanding the inventory of historic bridges and making that listing more available to the public; giving historic and other "constrained" bridges special consideration for repair instead of replacement; informing the public better and earlier about proposed projects and about such options as opportunities to incorporate aesthetic design details and share costs to produce more compatible bridges; providing specific feedback to the public on how their concerns will be addressed; and better coordinating the efforts of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the Coast Guard and the Florida Departments of State and Transportation in long range planning and the Planning, Development and Environment (PD&E) process.

The final bridge symposium report, with detailed recommendations, has been distributed to the affected agencies and those who attended the symposium, and is available online at www.1000friendsofflorida.org, under "Publications." To follow up, symposium sponsors including the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of State, Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council, and National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with the Coast Guard—an active participant but not a sponsor—have agreed to work toward implementing the suggested recommendations to correct problems with the current bridge rehabilitation and replacement process. For more information, contact Dan Pennington at 850.222.6277 or by e-mail at dpennington@1000fof.org.

1000 Friends extends a special thanks to board member Tim Jackson, and his planning firm of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart, Inc. for their ongoing support for this important project.