St. Augustine Bridge Rebuild & Track Raise
When Florida’s intense rainstorms and hurricane season arrived each year, a section of the Florida East Coast Railroad would disappear underwater, forcing costly service disruptions and operational delays. The culprit was a bridge built too low, vulnerable to the rising water that regularly inundated the tracks. Recognizing the need to future-proof this transportation link, Florida East Coast Railroad partnered with Danella and Superior Construction to solve the flooding problem through an ambitious bridge-raising and track elevation project.
- Raised 30-foot precast ballast deck bridge 1.5 feet
- Placed 11,000 cubic yards of ballast, raising 5,200 linear feet of existing track an average of 2 feet
- Creation of 0.3-acre tidal salt marsh
- Replaced signal mast and bungalow
The Work
Superior Construction faced significant technical and logistical challenges working adjacent to an active railroad line. All construction activities had to be carefully coordinated within strict 27-hour work windows to minimize disruption to railroad operations while ensuring worker safety around active rail traffic.
The project required modifying existing structures to accommodate new components and raising the existing 30-foot precast ballast deck bridge by 1.5 feet. Superior’s crews placed 11,000 cubic yards of ballast to raise 5,200 linear feet of existing track an average of 2 feet.
Environmental protection was a critical component of the work. Superior implemented protective measures during construction and created a 0.3-acre tidal salt marsh as part of the site restoration. The project also included safety improvements such as enhanced walkway surfaces and the replacement of railroad infrastructure, including signal equipment.
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