Donald Ross Bridge near Jupiter is closed

[Corvidae]

So we found out the hard way earlier this week that the Donald Ross bridge was closed, just as we were trying to get by. Kind of a BFD for any sailboats trying to get past Jupiter on the ICW.

I've since found a few sites that mention the bridge problem, but I can't seem to find a decent site for checking other bridges or routes along the way. With the general lack of maintenance on most of the ICW, I'm kind of surprised I can't find a decent tracker anywhere.

Anyone else have better sources? Or updates for Donald Ross?

[Bill O]

Bridge was reported to be stuck in the down position on 1/11/23. May be operational early Feb.
https://www.waterwayguide.com/nav-al...perable-update

[Chotu]

It’s supposed to be in the local notices to mariners.

I didn’t read mine either. I ran into the exact same problem even without my mast in Venice, Florida.

The bridge was stuck down. I only need about 12 feet to get through without a mast and I still couldn’t make it.

Somewhat frustrating.

[IRENE]

Originally Posted by Corvidae

Anyone else have better sources?

https://navcen.uscg.gov/local-notice...by-cg-district

LOCAL NOTICES TO MARINERS BY CG DISTRICT

I scanned through it and didn't find anything related!

[Montanan]

Been an issue for a while as to a ditch closure.

Jan 06, 2023

https://www.wptv.com/traffic/eastbou...ed-for-repairs

A portion of Donald Ross Bascule Bridge located near Jupiter reopened to traffic Friday night after crews worked to make repairs for a few hours. Openings for boaters remain suspended indefinitely, according to Palm Beach County officials.

Eastbound traffic on the bridge was closed after experiencing a malfunction.

The county said the problem left the bridge locked in the "span open" position, making it inoperable for vehicles traveling eastbound. Westbound traffic was still open.

Palm Beach County Road and Bridge crews worked Friday to correct the issue.

A detour was set up through Prosperity Farms Road, PGA Boulevard and Ellison Wilson Road during the closure.


https://www.waterfront-properties.co...e-closure.html


Palm Beach County Announces Jupiter Bridge Closure
Posted by Lorea Thomson on Tuesday, January 11th, 2022 at 4:04pm.


Palm Beach County announced the temporary bridge closure of the Donald Ross Road bridge. The Donald Ross Bascule Bridge crosses the Intracoastal Waterway at Mile Marker 1009.3 with high vertical clearance of thirty-five feet and ninety feet of horizontal space in the center span. The bridge has a restricted opening schedule, opening on the hour and half-hour.


Delays in Donald Ross Bascule Bridge Repairs Frustrates Hundreds of Boaters
https://www.waterwayguide.com/knowle...raffic-feb-1st

Date Posted: January 23, 2023

On January 6, 2023, one span of the Donald Ross bridge was stuck in the open position blocking road traffic across the bridge. The bridge, now remaining in the down position, is blocking all marine traffic taller than 35 feet, relieving traffic on the road but leaving boaters heading for The Bahamas and other points South in a holding pattern until a target repair date of February 1.

It has two leaves in parallel so if one leaf does not open, the other leaf will still block boats requiring 35 feet or more of clearance.

Sailboats either have to wait for the projected fix or wait for suitable weather and go outside along the coast between inlets.

In a survey on ICW Cruising Guide Facebook page, 114 sailboats were impacted by the problem which included cancellation fees when they could not honor marina reservations they had made many months before.

[Montanan]

Suggest contacting the Palm Beach County road and bridge department for updates since they are responsible for its repair and operation.

https://discover.pbcgov.org/engineer...nd-Bridge.aspx

Vista Operation and Support Center
2555 Vista Parkway
West Palm Beach, FL 33411-5601
Phone: 561-233-3950
Bridge Section
Road Section


Bridge Section:
Maintains 8 Bascule Bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway and one Swing Bridge at Point
Chosen. Maintains 291 various types of fixed structures, including interstate and highway overpasses, canal crossings, pedestrian bridges, golf course underpasses, and storm water control structures. This maintenance includes but is not limited to electrical, mechanical, and structural repairs.
Conducts routine Bridge inspections as required, oversees the maintenance and construction of guardrails on County roads. Constructs concrete sidewalks, storm drain structures, handicap ramps, and upgrades bridge parapets. Respond to citizen inquiries related to Bridge issues, staffs the Bascule Bridges with Bridge Tenders 24 hours a day 7 days a week. After hour services are available through the Emergency Operating Center (E.O.C.).

​E.O.C. Phone: 561-712-6428

Thomas Coppini
Bridge Superintendent
561-233-3975

John Myers
Asst. Bridge Superintendent
561-233-3976

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by IRENE

https://navcen.uscg.gov/local-notice...by-cg-district

LOCAL NOTICES TO MARINERS BY CG DISTRICT

I scanned through it and didn't find anything related!

Indeed there was no notice published for region 7, active or archived.

Public Notices for Bridges - Active
District 7
The U.S. Coast Guard uses public notices to notify the public of proposed bridge activities and to solicit comments regarding those activities.

This Public Notices for Bridges - Active page is updated as bridge-related public notices become available or expire. A Public Notice is removed from this page after the comment period closes. Once they expire, the notices are moved to the Public Notices for Bridges - Expired page and eventually to the Public Notices for Bridges - Archives. The notices are available for download in Portable Document File (PDF) Format. You may download the free Adobe Reader.
The files presented are web-searchable copies and are not the official, signed version; however, other than the signature being omitted, they are a duplicate of the official version.


There are no Active Public Notices for Bridges in District 7 at this time.

[Corvidae]

Well, it's good to know all the relevant sources of official notice are essentially useless. We can get google maps to tell us when a stop light is out, but an entire bridge is just too big of an ask.

[Pandor]

It is right there in the LNM

FLORIDA - AICW – LAKE WORTH CREEK - JUNO BEACH - DONALD ROSS BRIDGE: Bridge Inoperable

https://navcen.uscg.gov/sites/defaul...nm07042023.pdf

Chart: 11472 LNM: 03/23
The Donald Ross Bridge is unable to open to marine traffic and the bridge owner, Palm Beach County, has not provided a time for repairs to be
completed. All mariners are requested to use caution when transiting the area. For waterways questions or drawbridge operating issues, call or e-mail
Coast Guard Sector Miami, FL, Waterways Management Division, telephone 305-535-4317, email SectorMiamiWaterways@uscg.mil

[hpeer]

Then there is the Salty Southeast Cruisers Net.
They have an app for that.

https://cruisersnet.net/

[sailorboy1]

I hear it is open again. So..........