Anyone who's spent time on the St. Lucie River knows the century-old railroad bridge is too low, sitting at 6 feet, too narrow, and stuck in the closed position more often than it should be. It's a daily headache for boaters and a safety risk for everyone who shares that corridor.

Today, USDOT announced a $78.9 million grant to the City of Stuart to replace it.

The single-track drawbridge comes out, and a new double-track structure goes in. Horizontal clearance goes from 50 feet to roughly 90. Vertical clearance goes from 6.5 feet to about 17.75 feet at mean high water, which is enough for more than 90 percent of vessels to pass with the bridge down. Fewer openings, fewer backups downtown, fewer blocked crossings.

This has been a long fight for us already. Last September, the Coast Guard finally issued a final ruling on its operating schedule: the bridge stays open by default, closures are capped, and delays are limited. That was a win, but it was a workaround for a bridge that never should be carrying this much traffic. 

Replacing this bridge is long overdue, and this funding gets it done.