By STEVE BRAUN
As the Town of Jupiter celebrates its centennial anniversary this year, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is proud to add to the celebration with the partial opening of the U.S. 1 Jupiter Bridge reconstruction project.
The U.S. 1 Jupiter Bridge serves as the gateway between the Town of Jupiter and the Village of Tequesta, where the waters of the Jupiter Inlet and Loxahatchee River meet. It is surrounded by natural parks, vibrant beaches, and a mixture of residences, restaurants, local businesses, hotels, and entertainment venues making it an iconic destination for travelers from around the world. The new bridge stands tall alongside the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, which has major historical significance to the community.
With these unique features surrounding the area of the bridge, FDOT made it a priority to minimize any impact to historical structures and the environment throughout all phases of construction.
The old bridge, built in 1958, had two lanes in each direction with narrow 2-foot shoulders and no bike lanes or sidewalks. Upon completion of the reconstruction project, the new US 1 Jupiter Bridge will feature:
- Two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction
- 8-foot sidewalks in each direction separated by traffic barriers
- 7-foot striped bike lanes in each direction
- Observation decks on both sides of the bridge
Additionally, the vertical bridge clearance is being raised by 10 feet, which will reduce the need for bridge openings by 44 percent. This shortens commute times for motorists, improves the evacuation route, allows for easier travel for vessels under the bridge, and enhances safety by minimizing rear-end collisions at the bridge approaches.
This $122 million demolition and reconstruction project began in October 2021 after years of detailed planning, design, and stakeholder engagement. Closing a major throughfare, especially for a major bridge reconstruction, is no small feat. Before reconstruction could begin, the project team had to complete numerous improvements to the surrounding area to ensure the detour routes could handle the increased capacity and to minimize the impact on the public and the environment.
The Alternate A1A bridge over the Loxahatchee River serves as the only other connector over the Loxahatchee River and was a critical connection point between the two communities. FDOT upgraded and repaired the A1A bridge and other intersections along the detour route to prepare for a substantial increase in traffic. A ‘Smart Work Zone’ was also implemented by installing intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices, (live- streaming cameras) to monitor traffic and adjust signal timing in real time to improve connectedness and shorten travel times through the detour route. The detour and use of Active Arterial Management system (ITS and Geo fencing) during construction allowed for the new bridge to be completed 6 to 8 months earlier than anticipated.
As a core mission of the Department, FDOT works to ensure the natural environment around all of our construction projects are minimally impacted during construction. This has remained an essential element for all work on this project since the bridge closed for complete demolition in March 2023. The old existing bridge material was transported to a concrete facility to be recycled and reused. The old bridge’s scupper drainage system, which allowed stormwater runoff to discharge directly into the Jupiter Inlet, was replaced with a closed stormwater system that will pretreat the roadway runoff before entering the Jupiter Inlet.
Whenever FDOT projects take place in areas of great historical significance, we bring an archaeologist on site during all excavation activities near the water to safeguard any historical finds. Nighttime noise-producing activities were also limited to protect the sensitive aquatic species that traverse the waterways at night.
FDOT took steps to ensure the safety and preservation of the 164-year-old Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and its adjacent facilities. The Lighthouse’s original Fresnel Lens was meticulously wrapped during pile-driving activities for the bridge foundation to prevent damage. The wrapping stayed in place for several months, temporarily causing the Lighthouse to go dark. Crews monitored vibration during this time to maintain the buildings’ structural integrity and to help the team decide when the wrapping could be safely removed.
Another area the FDOT team sought to protect was the historic U.S. Navy Married Men’s Housing Quarters, an important facility that housed senior radiomen and their families during World War II. These men were part of Station J, a secret operation that intercepted communications and identified U-boats off the Florida coast during the war. The housing units for these men and their families aimed to give some semblance of normalcy during the war. To preserve this area, FDOT added extra support and protection to the chimneys of the building, which will remain in place until construction is completed. As an additional layer of precaution, pile-driving operations and other work on water were done during daylight hours only so our team could visibly identify any disturbance to the area.
On Dec. 31, 2024, the US 1 Jupiter Bridge partially reopened one lane of traffic in each direction to motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists after being closed for over 20 months. The partial opening relieved drivers from having to detour 2.1-miles to cross the Intracoastal Waterway. Crews and project team members worked seven days a week through weekends and holidays to reach this significant milestone. Once the sun set, the newly installed overhead lights were activated, casting a soft amber hue over the roadway, rather than a bright white light that can resemble the moon. This is designed to protect sea turtles year-round, especially during their nesting season.
Since the inception of this project, safety has been a top priority and will continue to be so long after construction is completed. The new bridge will feature state-of-the-art technology and include a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Detection System, which can alert the bridgetender to the presence of anyone on the bridge before the bridge can be opened. The bridge tender house also has a 360-degree view of the bridge and its walkways, which is ideal for monitoring marine, vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic.
As of February 2025, the Jupiter Bridge project is more than 75 percent complete. The next project milestones include:
- Opening the remaining two lanes to traffic in Spring 2025
- Opening the Riverwalk connection underneath the south side of the bridge in Summer 2025, including a pedestrian pier and walkway for nature viewing
- The project is scheduled to be completed in early 2026
FDOT thanks the community and our project stakeholders for their partnership and patience during this one-of-a-kind project as work is completed through 2025. It is also extraordinary to have so many local community members as a part of our highly skilled project team, improving our infrastructure and protecting our environment for future generations.
Steve Braun is the Florida Department of Transportation District 4 Secretary
