GOVERNMENT
trestle 50 feet at a time, while another crew follows behind
using the trestle to build the permanent structure.
“It is efficient, quicker and economical,” says George Denti,
director of Construction Services with Cardno Engineering.
“When we’re done, the trestle is removed. It’ll be like we
were never there.”
MOVING FORWARD
Improving mobility has long been a priority and the city is
moving forward on its largest capital improvement in its history:
construction of the Crosstown Parkway Bridge, establishing
a new east/west corridor with the hopes of alleviating
gridlock during peak traffic hours on the dual bridges of
Prima Vista and Port St. Lucie Boulevards.
“We are already in a failing situation on Port St. Lucie
Boulevard between the river and Floresta Drive,” says Frank
Knott, project manager for the city’s Regulatory Division of
the Public Works Department.
The first bridge was completed in 1959 when General
Development Corp. spanned the river on East Prima Vista
Boulevard. With the addition of the second bridge and rapid
development, bottlenecks are a twice-daily occurrence.
“We go back as far as 1980,” Roebling says. “This river
crossing was included in our comprehensive plan.” During
the process, alternative routes and methods were explored
including tunneling under the river and a double-decker on
one of the existing bridges.
Planning a major construction project in a coastal area with
an abundance of sensitive and protected wetlands needed to
follow strict protocols. After extensive analysis and community
input, a route was selected that best met formal criteria
CROSSTOWN EXTENSION WEBSITE
The first sign of construction on the extension project are the blockades at
Sandia Drive and Floresta. Detours were established after seasonal residents
called the city with complaints.
regarding its impacts to the environment, the community and
numerous other factors.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
For the past 20 years, planning efforts involved extensive
federal, state and local cooperation, as well as public outreach.
Previous council and staff members had a rare opportunity
to observe firsthand how a bridge of this magnitude could be >>
CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE
A bird’s eye view shows the staging areas for the temporary trestle bridge that will precede the construction of the permanent bridge.
Port St. Lucie Magazine 41