The progress on the bridge is really moving along. The majority of the rehabilitated girders are up and the road surface is now being installed. This bridge is going to look great when its finished.
http://www.fdotbridgeoflions.com/progress.html
http://www.fdotbridgeoflions.com/renderings.html
This seemed like a criminal waste of taxpayer money to me.
The bridge wasn't great to begin with.
I can hardly tell the difference between the old and new.
That's the point.
Its a historic bridge that was in dire need of rehabilitation or replacement. It will be an upgraded version of its old self but still the same bridge.
There was a controversy for years about the Bridge of Lions; whether to replace it with a high level fixed bridge that would not require a lift span or try to preserve the architecturally unique bridge as it was. The high bridge would have required a major reworking of the roads and ramps on the St. Augustine side including making a spiral ramp on the waterfront or taking over the historic park for the long approach.
The old bridge had deteriorated to the point of danger and the size of the lift span no longer met Coast Guard safety standards for the Intracoastal Waterway. FDOT hates opening bridges too.
Historic preservationists were horrified by the prospect of a modern, high bridge and its ramps on dominating the skyline of St. Augustine. Businesses on the St. Augustine Beach side felt the the narrow, two lane Bridge of Lions was hurting them and creating a real traffic bottleneck.
The compromise was to build a low bridge that met Coast Guard standards and was four lane while preserving/duplicating the appearance of the original bridge. Doing this required that a temporary bridge be built next to the old bridge which was removed and rebuilt.
This was undoubtedly a more expensive option, but the correct one given the location. Price isn't everything even with taxpayer money.
The renderings show it as a two lane brdige still.
It will be two FDOT reg lanes with wider pedestrian walkways on both sides.
Quote from: Jason on October 23, 2009, 01:30:56 PM
It will be two FDOT reg lanes with wider pedestrian walkways on both sides.
Whups! You are right! Senior moment. The old bridge was two, very narrow lanes and tiny sidewalks.
4 lanes would have been nice though.
Elimination of the draw bridge, along with no temporary sbridge to be removed later seems like the smarter way to have gone.
Call me unsentimental, but this one was a huge waste, IMO.
There is no room on the mainland side of the bridge for any expansion.
Agreed, however they could have used the Island side ROW to lengthen the span. Even if elimination of the draw bridge was not feasible, the temporary bridge that was built is a huge waste.
Then to build a steel bridge on the ocean to replace a steel bridge seems a bit unwise.
They're going to turn the temp. bridge into an offshore reef when it is all done.
What a refreshing post, those photos take one back to a simpler time. It SHOULD also demonstrate to "other" Northeast Florida cities what a bit of TLC for history will do. BRAVO, ST AUGUSTINE, BRAVO! VIVA SAN AGUSTIN!
Sure makes me sad for the memorial bridge in Palatka that was hacked to death when most of you were kids. Get ready for the fight to save the Grand Avenue Bridge in Ortega. Maybe money will talk? All three of these bridges were different, but in many respects similar, Palatka's was lined with statues from "The Great War" (wwI) like driving through a Greek temple. Only a few seem to have survived.
OCKLAWAHA
Ock, I had completely forgotten the Memorial Bridge in Palatka until your post above. Instant flash of visual memory from way down in the banks! What a magnificent thing it was and moving every time you went across it.
Do you know where any of the statues went?
Bucket, in your mind take the Acosta Bridge and plot it down on the Sebastian River on the St. Augustine waterfront. Now add the spiral ramp from the parking garage at Baptist Hospital onto the mainland side in front of the A1A Ale house. Pretty sight? NOT! Appropriate for a historic city? No. Bad engineering? Bad traffic planning? Yes.
Quote from: Dog Walker on October 24, 2009, 11:44:29 AM
Ock, I had completely forgotten the Memorial Bridge in Palatka until your post above. Instant flash of visual memory from way down in the banks! What a magnificent thing it was and moving every time you went across it.
Do you know where any of the statues went?
Bucket, in your mind take the Acosta Bridge and plot it down on the Sebastian River on the St. Augustine waterfront. Now add the spiral ramp from the parking garage at Baptist Hospital onto the mainland side in front of the A1A Ale house. Pretty sight? NOT! Appropriate for a historic city? No. Bad engineering? Bad traffic planning? Yes.
The placed a few at each end of the ugly faceless concrete monstrosity they created, the others I haven't a clue. Not to mention the lights, and the little "guard tower" alcoves where the saintly sailors, soldiers, and flyer's one stood. Great job FDOT.
Traffic planning in downtown St. Augustine is in a large part a product of the St. Johns Electric Railway, which crossed the bridge, went up King as well as the waterfront. At that time there were two bridges, one, Bridge of the Lions, and an older, wooden, St. Johns Electric Railway bridge to the south. They were only a couple hundred feet apart on the west side, I believe the Railway bridge, (which also had traffic and pedestrian lanes) lined up with King on the mainland. They converged at the Island, which has always been a choke point. This is why when you see photos of the Bridge of the Lions, from it's early years, you see only a single streetcar track in the westbound lane. The eastbound track was on the second bridge.
So bad engineering? Not at all. Lack of foresight? Absolutely! BTW, I don't think the "Modern Flexible Bus System," even lasted 10 years after the streetcar line was trashed. Can you imagine historic open air streetcars running on a sunny weekend day in the afternoon in St. Augustine? Christmas Eve? Wow, New Orleans, or San Francisco, would have NOTHING on the ancient city. OCKLAWAHA
My biggest objection to the BOL is the temporary bridge. They could have rerouted a similar bridge without the need to build a temp, only later to need to destroy it. Perhaps I'm wrongheaded here, and I am trying to learn new ways of thinking, but it just seems wasteful.
The old bridge used to have a trolley line that went to Davis Shores I believe.
I'm guessing the businesses near the BOL would have complained mightily. It would have made a five minute, one mile, trip from downtown to, say, O'Steens on the east end of the bridge, into a 9 mile trip via the 312 bridge.
Quote from: TheProfessor on October 24, 2009, 01:03:37 PM
The old bridge used to have a trolley line that went to Davis Shores I believe.
Don't have a map of it, but from what I recall, I believe you might be right. I KNOW that it ended at the beach, my guess would be somewhere near the Lighthouse. Both streetcar companies, in Saint Augustine, merged to form The St. Johns Electric RY. The former companies tell something of their history in their titles:
1. St. Augustine and South Beach Railway
2. St. Augustine and North Beach Railway
Before abandonment to "modern city buses," two extensions were not only planned but some work was done on the grades. North Beach RY tried to reach Ponte Vedra. South Beach RY tried to reach South Jacksonville.
Off the subject somewhat but in the neighborhood of early electric rail, A car line in Ocala, proposed what was called "A GREAT INTERURBAN," to connect Ocala with the metropolis of Jacksonville. One can only guess what the route was, but the Ocklawaha Valley RR, taken up illegally in 1923, would have gotten them to Palatka, the original OVRR plan was to Jacksonville via East Palatka-SR13-JAX.
But nothing more ever came of either system. Sure would have been sweet today. OCKLAWAHA
Bucket, there just wasn't room to build a parallel bridge then take the old one down. This works is most places, but simply wasn't possible there for a proper, new bridge. The temporary bridge is just that. There are no real foundations and it is really skinny and jammed up against the new/old bridge. Lots of people are electing to go to the 312 bridge rather than cross the shaky thing.
BTW, O'steens is worth either route. It is also evidently in all of the travel guides. I translated the entire menu for a group of French tourists while standing in line one evening. Ever tried to figure out how to say "hushpuppy" in French?
That bridge is also the tourism lifeline connection between DT and the beaches. It is a local icon and a VERY distinctive piece of St. Augustine history. To have it unnecessarily altered would be a travesty. IMO, the city has done a great job maintaining its historical signifigance as the nations oldest city so why ruin all that hard work by letting the DOT have a go at moving the most traffic possible?
QuoteCity seeking 27 to cross new bridge
1st people to walk across reopened Bridge of Lions to be randomly selected
Staff | Posted: Saturday, October 24, 2009 ; Updated: 12:59 AM on Saturday, October 24, 2009
The official opening of the new Bridge of Lions is less than three months away, and 27 people selected at random will be the first to walk across the bridge.
The group crossing the bridge first will be known as members of The '27 Club, named for the year when the bridge first opened.
Going across the bridge with them will be a parade of vehicles from the Ancient City Auto Club, with one car for each decade since the bridge initially was completed in 1927.
What isn't clear yet is just when the bridge will reopen, although city officials are sure it will be in January.
Planners are dealing with that uncertainty by setting everything up ahead of time so they'll be ready to go at not much more than a moment's notice.
The city is working with the Florida Department of Transportation; Tidewater-Skanska, the contractor for the project; and Save Our Bridge, the local advocacy group that has led efforts to keep the Bridge of Lions.
"The notice can be as short as 48 hours," said project spokeswoman Laurie Sanderson. "We'll try to give more than that."
The uncertainty comes from any last-minute problems subcontractors may encounter as well as a DOT "punch list" of tasks that have to be completed before the bridge can be approved.
The $82 million project began in February 2005, when the temporary bridge was installed. Traffic was switched from the original bridge in May 2006.
The city is organizing special programs to celebrate the reopening of St. Augustine's historic Bridge of Lions after what will be 42 months of restoration work.
"We're putting together a small but significant ceremony," said Paul K. Williamson, public affairs director for the City of St. Augustine.
When the ceremony is held, the rehabilitated bridge will be open to traffic that day. At the same time, Skanska will begin dismantling the temporary bridge, said Sanderson.
The center span can be removed in a month and used on another temporary bridge, Sanderson said. The rest of the bridge will be removed over the course of five or six months.
When that work is complete, landscaping will be done, and the two lions will be returned to their places on the bridge.
Another ceremony will be held at that time, Williamson said.
How to enter
The '27 Club -- the 27 people who will be the first to walk across the Bridge of Lions on its opening day -- will be chosen at random from names that are submitted by letter, postcard, fax or e-mail. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. Dec. 4.
City of St. Augustine staff will collect the names. The 27 who are chosen will be picked in a "blind" process by The St. Augustine Record.
To enter, send name, address, phone number and e-mail address (if available) to City of St. Augustine, Attn: The '27 Club, P.O. Box 210, St. Augustine, FL 32085; fax: (904) 825-1096, Attn: The '27 Club; or e-mail: the27club@citystaug.com.
For details, call (904) 825-1004 or go to www.the27club.info.
Source: http://www.staugustine.com/stories/102409/news_2110405.shtml
Bridge is set to reopen a week from today.
Unlike what was previously thought, only part of the bridge will be used for a reef project, the temp span will be used somewhere else. I've been to St. Auggie a few times over the past 2 weeks, and the bridge looks very good.
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mostpopular/story/Bridge-of-Lions-set-to-reopen/RVtBbA3IrkCQZ1hSZesc_g.cspx
http://www.news4jax.com/news/22667154/detail.html
The bridge is looking fantastic. Its going to be great to have the temp bridge out of the way and the icon back in action.
That bridge is to St. Augustine, what all of Jacksonville's bridges combined are to Jax.
QuoteCity looks to light up Bridge of Lions
But sponsors are needed before idea becomes reality
Posted: March 10, 2010 - 12:09am
By JENNIFER EDWARDS
(http://staugustine.com/sites/default/files/water%20camera.jpg)
City officials say that restoration of the Bridge of Lions won't be complete until it can secure funding to light it from below -- especially with the 450th anniversary coming.
The bridge is set to reopen March 17 after a five-year-long, $80 million restoration project.
"At night, it disappears," City Commissioner Don Crichlow said. "This (added lighting) would make it as significant a landmark at the evening as it is at the day. I think that's very critical."
Vice-Mayor Errol Jones agrees.
"I definitely think it's a great idea," he said. "I think it's going to really show that bridge and its ambience to the public on a 24-hour basis."
A conduit for the lighting was installed during construction, but a representative of architectural firm RS&H of Jacksonville said the lights were not installed. Had they been, the price would have been an additional $300,000. RS&H presented its design Monday to the city, which paid about $15,000 for its services.
Now that construction has wound down, installing the lights will be somewhat more costly because traffic would have to be redirected, David Lafitte, RS&H senior architect, said.
ABOUT THE LIGHTS
As it stands, the plan includes about 400 lights placed on the bridge.
Some would go beneath the sidewalks and would light the girders, and additional lighting would illuminate the piers and the bascule towers, Lafitte said.
"If you look at a lot of the architectural lighting on the buildings around town, it's the same principle," he said. "Using concealed lighting to render the architectural surfaces so they're visible at night."
City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Klines said she was concerned with the light color shown in the mock-ups.
"The computer-generated graphics didn't truly reflect how the color and quality of the lights are on the bridge now," she said.
"They have kind of a warm orangey-glow and my understanding was they were chosen to reflect a historic gaslight appearance," she said. "I was concerned that the consultant had not taken that into consideration."
Crichlow agreed that the lights need to be in keeping with the bridge's historical nature.
"They know that we want to have a warm glow, a very warm lighting, to this," Crichlow said. "It will definitely be a warm light and not a white light."
St. Augustine Chief Operating Officer John Regan said the lighting would be cast by 26-watt bulbs with an effect that reminded him of under-cabinet lighting.
"The commission gave us the direction to look for a very soft lighting that meets the architectural needs of a historical bridge," he said.
Lafitte said the firm would test out several different light colors to find the one that's most compatible.
Installing the lighting would take six months at minimum from bid process to completion, he said.
FUNDING
Officials agree that lighting the bridge is a worthwhile endeavor but said the city cannot afford the project on its own.
"There's no money for this," Sikes-Kline said.
The city chipped in the money for the design and $20,000 to install the wiring conduit.
But it can't afford the current $300,000-plus price tag for the lighting itself.
The city is not seeking federal funding for the project for the next fiscal year because it was told the project would not likely be funded, Regan said by phone from Washington, D.C. Tuesday.
Regan and Mayor Joe Bolles are there to meet with congressional officials on the city's budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
"Congressman Mica is very supportive and would love to see the bridge lit," Regan said. "He is making inquiries into potential funding schemes and we are planning to talk to him about this (today)."
Wiley Deck, a spokesman for Rep. John Mica's office, said it could take up to a year to receive funding if the project is approved by the House and Senate during appropriations.
Lafitte said the city is considering a number of avenues including grants and funding from "various government entities."
Crichlow said the city is also seeking private funding.
"We're looking for a sponsor," he said. "We're looking for somebody -- a company, a corporation -- to step forward. If this is something they would like to connect their name to for the 450th, it would be a great community contribution."
Jones agreed.
"In light of the 450th coming up, we realize we are going to have to find some sponsor between now and 2015 who will sponsor that," he said. "Just like the Olympics or World Fair have done for other cities, I think this kind of 450th celebration could ... lead to greater things after it's all over."
About RS&H
The city selected RS&H of Jacksonville to design lighting for the Bridge of Lions.
The firm also designed lighting for four of Jacksonville's bridge. The lighting was installed for Superbowl 2005.
Those bridges were:
* The Hart Bridge
* The Main Street Bridge
* The Fuller Warren Bridge
* The Acosta Bridge.
Source: http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-03-10/city-looks-light-bridge-lions
This is an absolutely fantastic idea and can really set the bridge as a nightime icon as well. Just look at what lighting the Main Street bridge did for it and Jacksonville's image.
Wait, so they don't light the four "towers" beside the rising spans?
The insides of the towers were lit but very minimally. There is also street lighting along the bridge. This proposal is to light the underside of the bridge and better light the towers.
Sounds delicious to me, get it done.
Bridge opens tomorrow, a day ahead of schedule. However, the namesake of the bridge, the lions, will not be in place for many more months. This is because they have to wait for removal of the temp. span, complete roadwork, and then landscape. Waiting to do so provides a bit of assurance that the lions will not be damaged before all work is completed.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/22852596/detail.html
The bridge is looking great! I wish I would've gotten some pics of it when I was at A1A Aleworks this past weekend.
Fancy Lighting?
What about energy and resource conservation? Well... so long as they paint the bridge GREEN, I suppose it'll be fine.
A proposal for the concrete waste from the temporary bridge, which seems to be a smarter use of resources:
http://staugustine.com/news/2010-02-23/temporary-bridge-lions-concrete-could-be-used-protect-intracoastal
I'm pretty sure that the proposed lighting is LED, which is about as efficient as you can get (assuming it is done right).
Quote from: Jason on March 17, 2010, 10:32:11 AM
I'm pretty sure that the proposed lighting is LED, which is about as efficient as you can get (assuming it is done right).
Would zero (under structure) lighting be less efficient than LED? Would zero lighting be more costly in terms of expendature for procurement and maintenece?
I like the lighting... just bustin some green chops. ;)
I see your point. :)
Personally, I think the benefits of lighting the bridge outweigh the necessary expenditures. Tourism is the lifeblood of the city and if making it a bit more appealing at night can help to maintain or increase the appeal it is worth it.
I can't believe some comments on WJXT's story.
Would you rather have the money not been used to restore the bridge and risk it falling down and costing the state a helluva lot more than refurbing?!
Some people are just so stupid that it is pitiful.
I would have preferred a new bridge without having built a temporary bridge that would later need to be demolished.
Just my opinion.
There would have been no way to build a bigger bridge without making it a draw bridge and/or ruining the hostoric charm of St. Augustine. I think they got this one right.
Now its time to focus on transit. Streetcars should be able to use the bridge with minimal alterations. Ock might be able to elaborate on this.
Quote from: buckethead on March 17, 2010, 11:14:52 PM
I would have preferred a new bridge without having built a temporary bridge that would later need to be demolished.
Just my opinion.
The only part of the temp bridge not being reused are the concrete piers. Everything else is being disassmebled and will be used at another bridge project.
The concrete piers are being broken up to be used in an artificial reef, so the whole temporary span is being used reasonably.
If they had not built the temp bridge, you would've had only one other bridge crossing the ICW between there and Crescent Beach, which would've caused gridlock during daylight hours. After that bridge, the only other free bridge doesn't cross the ICW until Hwy 100 to Flagler Beach. The Hammock Dunes Bridge in Palm Coast is a tolled structure. FDOT would not have allowed this because the BOL is an official Hurricane Evacuation bridge.
It is not only the actual materials of the bridge to consider, but the cost in terms of natural resources and labor to manufacture and deliver those building products, along with the need for the use of natural resources and labor to dissasemble the temporary bridge and deliver those materials elsewhere.
My 2 cents.
Ok, but that was factored into the overall cost of the rehab.
Using the concrete to create an artificial reef in addition to the bridge being reused is a win-win IMO. At the same time though, it cost money to bring in the temporary span in the first place, and considering how long this project took, the temp span was pretty much required. This is just like building a new bridge to replace the old, except when it is done, the temp span will be used elsewhere and not demolished completely.
I honestly don't understand what the deal is, but whatever. The cost of a totally new bridge would've been much more than this rehab because they would've had to purchase properties, demolish buildings, and move existing infrastructure to start with.
Also, I honeslty think you don't grasp how historically significant this bridge is to the historic character of St. Augustine. A plain, bland bridge like the Fuller Warren or Acosta would not have been feaseable. That doesn't even take into consideration the downright outrage historical societies, the citizens of St. Augustine, the City of St. Augustine, and Visit Jacksonville would've raised. FDOT knows that this is a one of a kind structure, and everything should be done to preserve it.
Quote from: reednavy on March 18, 2010, 01:15:24 PM
I honestly don't understand what the deal is, but whatever. The cost of a totally new bridge would've been much more than this rehab because they would've had to purchase properties, demolish buildings, and move existing infrastructure to start with.
actually no....FDOT originally wanted to build a new bridge and had 2 options...go high (like most of their new bridges)...or build a new one where the temp. bridge is now...the rehab w/ temp. bridge was the most expensive option....that said, it was also the right decision
Dern right!
There is another saving coming too. Seems that rip-rap reinforcing is needed at a nearby area that is eroding so much of the concrete from the temporary bridge is going to be moved a very short distance and used by the City of St. Augustine. I think the story about it said that it was dropping the disposal costs (offshore reef) from $500,000 to $100,000 because it can be trucked a short distance rather than barged a long one.
This is going to be a big issue until the bridge approaches are finished....
QuoteBridge plagued by traffic woes
Crews work to open a right turn lane onto Avenida Menendez as drivers wait in long lines
Posted: March 23, 2010 - 12:29am
By KATI BEXLEY
The beautiful new Bridge of Lions was supposed to put smiles on peoples' faces. Instead, it is getting a lot of grimaces from people stuck in long lines waiting to get over the bridge from Anastasia Island.
Drivers could get relief soon from traffic piling up on the Bridge of Lions after St. Augustine City Commissioners urged the contractor on the bridge project to resolve the issue.
Laurie Sanderson, Bridge of Lions rehabilitation project spokeswoman, said now at the foot of the Bridge of Lions heading to downtown St. Augustine there are two lanes, one that allows traffic to go straight and turn left and the other sends traffic straight and right.
So if cars are going straight they sit at the stop light, leaving traffic to back up while they wait to turn right.
The Florida Department of Transportation will work this week to open a right-turn-only lane for drivers entering downtown from Anastasia Island, she said. Without that lane, traffic is often backing up a mile on Anastasia Boulevard.
"We know this is causing an issue, and we are working to change it as soon as possible," Sanderson said.
When the Bridge of Lions reopened last week, the lane allowing drivers to turn off the temporary bridge and head north on Avenida Menendez was closed for construction crews, Sanderson said.
Sanderson hadn't received many complaints from residents about the issue, but City Commissioners asked the Department of Transportation to do something about it.
Another culprit for the traffic congestion is the Bridge of Lions drawbridge taking longer to go and up down than did the temporary bridge, Sanderson said. She said the antique gates on both sides of the Bridge of Lions' drawspan open one at a time and delay the drawbridge.
The gates were added to the Bridge of Lions during its rehabilitation because they were on the original bridge in 1927, Sanderson said. The Department of Transportation is looking at either keeping the gates open at all times or having them open faster, she said.
Sanderson the DOT is still looking into the malfunction that caused the Bridge of Lions to shut down Friday.
The two bridge's roadways, or drawspan, connect and lock for additional safety as drivers travel over them. The drawspan was not connecting completely, so it could not lock and the bridge was closed for about an hour.
Sanderson the bridge began having the same problems late Friday evening, but it again corrected itself. She said a small part on the bridge has been replaced and they believe that will solve the problem.
"We believe this issue may be related to that part," Sanderson said. "... We are not completely certain and we are still conducting inspections and testing."
On Monday night, she told the City Commission that the bridge was tested for four days before the opening, but then a valve in a lock system malfunctioned and its replacement had to be found.
"We are under warranty, just like a new car would be," she said.
The span is supposed to open in 72 seconds, not including the pedestrian gates. The entire sequence should be 4-1/2 minutes to open and 3-1/2 minutes to close.
"This is all still under construction," Sanderson told the commission. "It will function more like it did before we started construction."
Senior Writer Peter Guinta contributed to this story.
What a mess it is at this time.
Quote from: British Shoe Company on March 25, 2010, 03:26:09 PM
What a mess it is at this time.
No question about that, but for some inconvenience, St. Augustine kept one of it's most well-known landmarks and not getting some POS FDOT bridge design.