Three bridges cross the St. Lucie River at downtown Stuart within a few hundred feet of one another. The newest one, the fixed US-1 Roosevelt Bridge, has 65 feet of clearance and never opens. Next to it is the SR 707 Dixie Highway drawbridge, at 14 feet. The oldest is a Florida East Coast Railway bascule that sits about 6 feet above mean high water when it's down. Any boat kept on the North Fork or the South Fork has to pass all three to reach the Intracoastal and the St. Lucie Inlet. The North Fork and South Fork both split off west of Stuart, so every dock on them sits above this crossing.
For a buyer comparing waterfront homes, the number that matters here is your boat's air draft measured against each of those bridges, plus the rules on when each one opens. Because the railroad bridge is now funded for replacement, the upriver math will change. It won't change in the same way for every boat.
Three Bridges, Three Different Rules
| Bridge | Type | Clearance when closed | When it opens |
|---|---|---|---|
| US-1 Roosevelt Bridge | Fixed, built 1997 | 65 feet | Never needs to |
| SR 707 Dixie Highway Bridge | Double-leaf bascule | 14 feet | On signal, but need not open while the rail bridge is closed |
| FEC Railroad Bridge, mile 7.41 | Single-leaf bascule | About 6 feet | Stays open except for trains, inspections and authorized work, within Coast Guard time limits |
The figures for the railroad bridge vary a little by source. The Coast Guard and NOAA put its closed clearance at 6 feet. The project announcement for the replacement uses 6.5 feet. At either height, almost any boat with a T-top, a tower or an outrigger waits for it.
The two drawbridges are linked. Under the current federal operating rule, the Dixie Highway bridge opens on signal. While the railroad bridge is down, though, it doesn't have to open. Once the railroad bridge goes up, the Dixie Highway bridge must open right away for every boat that's been waiting. The 2024 Coast Guard rulemaking described the change as letting the two bridges "operate in concert." That makes the railroad schedule the clock every taller boat runs on.
How the Railroad Bridge Divides an Hour
The current schedule for the railroad bridge took effect November 17, 2025. Between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., it can't stay closed more than 50 minutes in a row or more than seven hours in total. It must open for a fixed 10 minutes at the top of each hour. If a train is in the track circuit when an opening is due, the opening can be pushed back up to five minutes. From 8:01 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., closures can't run more than 60 minutes in a row.
A bridge tender works from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and monitors VHF channels 9 and 16. The rule also requires the owner to run a mobile app that posts opening times and schedule changes.
The pressure on that hour comes from train traffic. As of August 2026, Brightline ran 16 daily round trips across the bridge, and FEC freight trains use it too, the Sun Sentinel reported. The Coast Guard's 2025 rulemaking explains that a train can hold the bridge down once it enters the track circuit, before it can be seen from the water. It also says the single track and closely spaced trains can stretch closures. TCPalm has reported that this bridge is the only single-track section left on the 235-mile rail corridor between Miami and Cocoa. That's why the crossing has drawn attention and money.
What $262 Million Moves
On August 18, 2026, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the City of Stuart $78.9 million to replace the railroad bridge. That grant joins a $130 million USDOT grant from 2023, toward a project Brightline's announcement puts at an estimated $262 million. The week before, TCPalm reported that a federal official said the last of the money had likely been secured.
The new bridge will carry two tracks. Its horizontal opening goes from 50 feet to about 90 feet. Closed clearance above mean high water goes from 6.5 feet to about 17.75 feet, which the announcement says will let more than 90 percent of vessels pass while the bridge is down. In the same release, Congressman Brian Mast called the current bridge "a daily headache for boaters and a safety risk for everyone who shares that corridor." The Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast says on its website that the bridge's clearance limits most boats, and it backed the replacement grant.
No construction start or finish date has been announced. WPTV reported on the day of the award that timelines and other project details were still to come. If you buy upriver this season, you'll be using the current bridge and the current schedule for an unknown length of time.
The 14-Foot Band
Once the railroad bridge is rebuilt, the limit for many boats moves to a different bridge.
Boats fall into three groups. Boats under 14 feet of air draft will clear all three bridges with everything closed. Under today's 6-foot rail bridge, most of those boats wait. After the replacement, they won't. This group gains the most.
Boats taller than about 17.75 feet still need both drawbridges to open, as they do today. They'll get the wider 90-foot opening, but the waiting stays about the same.
Boats between 14 and 17.75 feet will fit under the new railroad bridge closed but not under the Dixie Highway bridge. As the federal rule reads today, the Dixie Highway bridge doesn't have to open while the railroad bridge is down. The 2024 rule tied the two bridges together because the old railroad bridge stopped nearly everything. Whether the Coast Guard changes that wording once the new bridge exists is up to the Coast Guard. No schedule for any change has been published.
So a buyer with a boat in that band should pay closer attention to how the two bridges will be operated after construction than to the opening of the new bridge alone. A buyer with a boat under 14 feet could see an upriver dock change the most of anyone, once construction is done.
Which Docks Sit Behind the Crossing
The bridge affects addresses unevenly, and the split follows the river.
Upriver, on the North and South Forks:
- North River Shores, Cocoanut Park and North River Forest. These neighborhoods sit on the North Fork, north of the Roosevelt Bridge area. The property owners association says eligible properties can use four waterfront parks and a private boat ramp at Nosaw Park.
- Harbour Ridge. On the North Fork, the club runs three private marinas, and residents can take a water shuttle to downtown Stuart.
- Piper's Landing. This community has a private 49-slip marina just off the South Fork.
- Phipps Park. This Martin County park has a boat ramp and dock on the Okeechobee Waterway, the route the South Fork carries.
Downriver, on the inlet side: NOAA places Rio on the north bank of the river 3.5 miles above Sewall Point and puts Manatee Pocket near where the St. Lucie meets the Intracoastal. Sandsprit Park has a public boat ramp at the mouth of Manatee Pocket. Boats kept there reach the inlet without passing under the downtown drawbridges.
The bridge has bothered the local marine industry for years. In 2023, MIATC announced a lawsuit over boater access through the Okeechobee Waterway as Brightline service grew. Indiantown Marine Center and Indiantown Marina were among the plaintiffs. In the 2025 rulemaking, the Coast Guard noted that commenters who raised economic losses had not supplied evidence of them. No one has put a dollar figure on the cost of a closure.
The Station Question Rides on the Same Span
The railroad bridge is also at the center of a separate argument over a downtown Brightline station at 500 SE Flagler Avenue. In an April 27, 2026 letter, the Florida East Coast Railway said it had denied the station. Its reasoning was that a train stopped at the platform would keep the existing bridge down and break Coast Guard rules. Brightline answered that the objections "lack merit" and said it remained committed to the station, as WPTV reported.
In August 2026, Martin County was not among the recipients of federal Intercity Passenger Rail Program funding for a station, even as the bridge received its grant, WFLX reported. TCPalm reported on September 14 that candidates who support the station won a majority on the Stuart City Commission in the August 18 primary. Nothing published says the new bridge settles the railway's objection. For now, the bridge has funding and the station doesn't.
Questions Before an Offer on an Upriver Dock
- What is your boat's air draft with antennas, tower and outriggers in the position you actually run them, and does it fall under 14 feet, between 14 and 17.75 feet, or above?
- How often will you head out during daytime hours, when the 50-minute limit and the 10-minute opening at the top of each hour apply?
- Have you watched the bridge app for a few weekday mornings and a weekend morning to see how train traffic and openings line up with the hours you'd boat?
- If you're comparing homes upriver and downriver, how much is it worth to you to reach the inlet without depending on the rail schedule, until the replacement opens?
This post is general information about published federal bridge rules and local projects, not legal or financial advice. For anything tied to a specific purchase, confirm the details with the right professional.
FAQ
When will the new railroad bridge open? No construction start or completion date has been announced as of mid-October 2026.
Will boats still wait at the downtown crossing after the replacement? The announcement says more than 90 percent of vessels will pass with the new bridge closed. Boats taller than 14 feet still need the Dixie Highway bridge to open.
Is the Brightline station tied to the bridge project? No. They are separate projects. The bridge has federal funding. The station has no federal award, and the railway has objected to it.
If you have a boat and are deciding between a dock on the North Fork and one closer to the inlet, Tyler Cameron can go through the bridge numbers against your boat's air draft before you write an offer. Schedule a Consultation with Tyler.
