The Roosevelt Bridge is a major highway

segmental bridge A segmental bridge is a bridge built in short sections (called segments), i.e., one piece at a time, as opposed to traditional methods that build a bridge in very large sections. The bridge is made of concrete that is either cast-in-place (constru ...

across the

St. Lucie River The St. Lucie River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 18, 2011 estuary linked to a coastal river system in St. Lucie and Martin counties in the Florida, United ...

Stuart, Florida Stuart is a city in and the seat of Martin County, Florida, United States. Located on Florida's Treasure Coast, Stuart is the largest of four incorporated municipalities in Martin County. The population is 17,425 according to the 2020 United State ...

. Carrying

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

(Federal Highway;

unsigned Unsigned can refer to: * An unsigned artist is a musical artist or group not attached or signed to a record label ** Unsigned Music Awards, ceremony noting achievements of unsigned artists ** Unsigned band web, online community * Similarly, the c ...

State Road 5), it was built to supersede the

old Roosevelt Bridge The Old Roosevelt Bridge (also called the St. Lucie River Bridge) is a bascule bridge that carries the old Dixie Highway ( County Road 707) across the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida. It used to have twin parallel bascule drawbridges - one for ...

, which had twin parallel

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

s, one for northbound traffic (opened in 1934, ) and the other for southbound (opened in 1964, ). The new bridge, completed in 1996, is raised and much longer than the older twin drawbridges. The southbound span of the old bridge is still functional for road and boat traffic and now carries two-way road traffic for what is now known as

Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network of ...

, County Road 707. The new high-level Roosevelt Bridge is approximately one mile long and is made of two three-lane sections running parallel to each other. The northbound bridge was completed first, and housed two lanes of both north and south-bound traffic until the second bridge was finished. Because of high traffic volume and visibility, the Roosevelt Bridge is a frequent location for many protests and political campaigning in the area.

Structural damage

On June 17, 2020, chunks of concrete fell off the bridge, causing a large crack along the underside of the southbound bridge, which put the bridge at suspected risk of an imminent collapse. The entire bridge in both directions closed later that day. Dixie Highway was also closed, since it passes under both spans near the crack. With detours needed, tolls were temporarily waived on

Florida's Turnpike Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91 (SR 91), is a toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately along a northwest–southeast axis, the turnpike is in two s ...

from Stuart to

Port St. Lucie Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...

to help ease traffic congestion during this closure. After severe corrosion and ruptured steel tendons were found on the bridge, Mayor Mike Meier issued a local state of emergency for the city of Stuart "based upon hazardous conditions currently existing with the Roosevelt Bridge. The declaration provides for the performance of public works and taking necessary actions to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the community." After inspection, the northbound bridge reopened on June 20 carrying four lanes of car traffic (two in each direction) with a 5 ton restriction. Dixie Highway and the

Old Roosevelt Bridge The Old Roosevelt Bridge (also called the St. Lucie River Bridge) is a bascule bridge that carries the old Dixie Highway ( County Road 707) across the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida. It used to have twin parallel bascule drawbridges - one for ...

also reopened. The southbound bridge remained fully closed until November 5, 2020. Soon after, both spans returned to full three-lane traffic with no weight restrictions. During the closures, both spans received new topcoat sealant to prevent water from seeping into the concrete.

References

Bascule bridges in the United States Transportation buildings and structures in Martin County, Florida Bridges completed in 1996 Road bridges in Florida U.S. Route 1 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System 1996 establishments in Florida {{Florida-bridge-struct-stub