ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline will resume 110 mph on two sections of its route to Orlando this week, including the segment in Martin County that includes St. Lucie River bridge that has become a point of concern for the passenger operator’s service plans.
Testing at speeds up to 110 mph is scheduled to resume in Martin County on Wednesday, July 19, and Thursday, July 20. Along with eight grade crossings where flaggers will be present, the testing will include the St. Lucie River bridge. Testing will occur from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, with Thursday as a backup day.
During testing, one to two trains will pass over the bridge per hour; Brightline will post a bridge monitor to communicate with marine traffic on VHF-FM channel 9. Grade crossings with flaggers will include four crossings of State Route A1A (including those at Indian Street and Cove Road); Monterey Road; Seaward Street; Salerno Road (County Road 722), and Broward Avenue.
Testing in Martin County had previously been scheduled for June 21-23, but was postponed just ahead of those dates after the U.S. Coast Guard introduced a new schedule for the St. Lucie River drawbridge on June 21. That schedule requires the bridge to be opened at 15 and 45 past each hour, for up to 15 minutes, to allow marine traffic to pass, a schedule that could severely hamper Brightline’s planned operating schedule [see “Coast Guard to impose twice-hourly bridge openings …,” Trains News Wire, June 9, 2023].
Testing at up to 110 mph is scheduled to resume in St. Lucie and Indian River counties as soon as Friday, July 21, through Wednesday, July 26. Testing is possible from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. A total of 30 grade crossings in Indian River County and eight in St. Lucie County will be affected.
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