The contractor and designer for a new bridge being constructed in Florida expect it to be a showpiece design, accommodating a sensitive yet harsh environment while also marking a first in the U.S. for a corrosion-resistant post-tensioning method.
The John T. Brooks Bridge between Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island was built in 1965 and handled about 1,500 vehicles a day in its early days. Today, traffic has increased to 66,000 vehicles daily on the four-lane U.S. 98 span over the Santa Rosa Sound and Intracoastal Waterway. It’s also too low to accommodate larger boats, and there have been strikes. In 2013, a barge hit the bridge, which also carries utilities to Okaloosa, knocking out water service to the island.
The Florida Department of Transportation has selected the design-build team of Superior Construction and engineering firm WSP to demolish and replace the bridge with a wider, longer, taller, stronger, six-lane structure. The $171 million project will also feature biking and walking paths, drainage improvements, intersection upgrades and even special lighting to protect sea turtles.
“It's not just going to be a bridge,” says Matt Durshimer, WSP project design manager. “There are things that will make this an iconic structure unique to Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island.
“There are things you won't see on other bridges in the state or in the country.”
A 30-inch prestressed concrete “test” pile is being off-loaded to the work zone at the base of the Brooks Bridge on Okaloosa IslandMy Brooks Bridge Facebook page
