April 28, 2023 – Construction progress to the pedestrian bridge over State Road 100 is taking shape as the iconic contour of the Flagler Beach Pier has been framed out – a clear sign of what it will look like in the end. The hidden magic of this project, which will be completed this summer, is that with its nearly two miles of new trails it will serve as a gateway for the robust trail system that already exists in the county.
“This is really an amazing project,” said County Engineer Faith Alkhatib. “The bridge is going to be stunning when it is finished, but the shared use path (with three separate elevated boardwalks to minimize wetland impacts) that connects to the Lehigh Trail shows off the splendor of our wetlands here in Flagler County.”
The stretch of trail between the bridge north to the Lehigh Trail is 1.6 miles.
The south side of the bridge also has a shared use path that winds through the woods to a new sidewalk that connects to Old Kings Road and adds .6 miles of trail to the system. Eventually, the southern “Bulow Trail” will connect to the proposed “Bulow Creek Headwaters Park” on property Flagler County already owns.
“Once people get to see the recreational opportunities this project opens up, they are going to love it,” said County Administrator Heidi Petito. “We’ve heard jokes that this is the bridge to nowhere, but it is exactly the kind of nowhere that everyone wants to be.”
Project details:
- Pedestrian bridge is 690 linear feet over State Road 100
- The bridge is 18 feet wide
- Signature A-frame safety enclosure is 230 linear feet
- Piers with spread footers were used in the construction of the bridge to support the six-span structure
- Twelve 144-foot-long U-beams were placed at night to reduce impact to drivers
- Fifty-five lights will illuminate the shared use path
- There are three elevated boardwalks
- The total length of the boardwalks is 1,595 linear feet
- There are 4,642 linear feet of handrails
- Some 6,040 linear feet of pilings were installed to support the boardwalks
- The shared use path that connects the boardwalks is 12 feet wide
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