FDOT selects replacement as preferred option for Atlantic Isles Bridge; public hearing set

Sunny Isles Beach — The Florida Department of Transportation presented its Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study for the Atlantic Isles Bridge on Atlantic Island, telling the city commission it has advanced a full bridge replacement as the preferred alternative.

FDOT project manager Victoria Vogt said the bridge, built in 1925, is functionally obsolete and was given a sufficiency rating of 40.9 and a health index of 60.39 in a Sept. 29, 2023 inspection. "Bridges with a sufficiency rating of less than 50 are eligible for federal funding for replacement," Vogt said, and FDOT will fund about 75% of the estimated project costs while the city would be responsible for the remaining 25% and future maintenance.

The study evaluated rehabilitation, replacement, and a no-action baseline. A rehabilitation approach would preserve the existing arch and façade while adding a new deck and foundations; the replacement alternative would demolish and rebuild on the existing alignment to minimize environmental impacts and meet current design standards. FDOT presented both technical trade-offs and estimated lifespans, saying both build alternatives were designed for a 75-year service life. Based on the alternatives analysis, FDOT selected the replacement alternative as the "preferred alternative" because it best addresses the bridge’s structural and functional deficiencies and has the lowest estimated construction cost.

Joy Castro, the study’s natural-resources consultant, described environmental findings the team considered. She said the preferred alternative is expected to result in approximately 0.005 acres of unavoidable seagrass impact; a conceptual mitigation plan will be developed during design and permitting. The project lies within the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve and includes a tidally influenced lagoon; FDOT said no significant water-quality impacts are anticipated and that informal consultations with federal wildlife agencies have been completed or are underway.

Max Imberman, the cultural-resources consultant, said the bridge, lagoon and surrounding park form an Atlantic Isles resource group eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The cultural-resources report concluded the project would have an adverse effect to the resource group; FDOT said mitigation measures and continued coordination with the State Historic Preservation Officer and the City of Sunny Isles Beach are documented in a draft Memorandum of Agreement.

FDOT also briefed the commission on schedule and next steps. The PD&E documents were available for public review for 21 days before the hearing and will remain available through April 1. FDOT staff said design procurement has been advertised to consultants and that design work is expected to begin in 2025 with construction currently planned for 2027; final PD&E approval was anticipated in 2024. Members of the public may submit comments to the record at the public hearing and via materials posted on the project website.

The department announced a public hearing on the PD&E study will be held at 6 p.m. in the city meeting room and online; all comments received will become part of the public record and will be considered before FDOT makes final decisions on the PD&E documents.