Heads up, Coral Springs commuters: major bridge rehab works are about to kick off in your neck of the woods. Starting March 11, the Highway and Bridge Maintenance Division (HBMD) will begin a significant overhaul of the bridge on Atlantic Boulevard, stretching between Riverside Drive and Coral Ridge Drive. The necessary funds for this project are coming straight from the state’s pockets, courtesy of the gas tax.
According to Broward County's announcement, the aim is to remedy the structural red flags hoisted by the latest Florida Department of Transportation inspection. Expected to wrap up in September 2024, the works promise minimal interruption to traffic, mostly thanks to an innovative method designed to keep the wheels turning and the local businesses running. Seems like the HBMD is determined to smartly, albeit a bit disruptively, expand on the underlying structure without turning the daily commute into a total carmageddon.
So what's the skinny on this innovative method? It’s a newly minted design for Florida, allowing most of the dirty work to be managed from below the bridge via floating platforms. Before this approach, all operations had to take place top-side, a recipe for traffic snarls and commuter headaches.
The good news keeps on rolling in as most of the revitalization efforts will not enforce lane closures. Only the occasional necessity to thoroughly waterproof and resurface the bridge deck might push traffic into a single-file line. Amidst the construction dance, sidewalks and driveways plan to stay open for business, ensuring pedestrians and local traffic can still move freely. You can expect variable message signs to pop up, guiding motorists around whatever minor inconveniences dare to briefly emerge.
Who's behind the scenes? The HBMD keeps our county streets clean, the grass cut, and the bridges in shipshape, not to mention drawing the bridges up and down and fighting the good fight against mosquitoes. They patch, resurface, dust, spray, and mow, ensuring the public domain stays just that, public and accessible. For the curious, or perhaps the inconvenienced, further details on the Atlantic Boulevard bridge rehab project can be acquired through their official news release.
