South Beach residents who use the 17th Street bridge to get to the mainland got some good news last week: The seemingly forever bridge reconstruction project may be completed more than a year ahead of schedule, in early 2027.

“Given the current progress on the project, the contractor is anticipating finishing the project over a year ahead of contract time,” said Vero Beach City Councilman Aaron Vos, who lives on the island.

The Florida Department of Transportation had declared the bridge unsafe, necessitating a rehabilitation project that is taking more than twice as long as it took to build the original bridge.

The project involves replacing the entire 400-foot section of the bridge at the eastbound end where concrete had crumbled and metal rebar had rusted through, as well as moving utility connections attached to the bridge to serve beachside residents.

The original contract between FDOT and the contractor, the Vecellio bridge construction group from West Palm Beach, allowed for work through April 23, 2028, plus makeup days for holidays and bad weather.

Apparently, so far the contractor has been lucky and has lost few if any days to bad weather.  But FDOT won’t yet commit to the early completion date.

Samanatha Kayser, community outreach specialist for FDOT, said that as of July 1, “the project was 54% complete.”  But she added:  “Please note that the completion date is still subject to change due to weather impacts and unforeseen circumstances.”

Along with the good news, however, there was renewed aggravation last week as signs went up at all approaches to the bridge warning motorists that the only westbound lane open to traffic from the beach to the mainland would be subject to nighttime closures this week from Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

A flagging operation was to be in place to maintain eastbound as well as westbound traffic during the nighttime hours, letting eastbound and westbound traffic through on an alternating basis over a single lane of traffic.

The traffic limitation during the usually light-volume evening hours was necessary to “repair the roadway delineators,” said Kayser.

Adding to the traffic woes for Vero Beach motorists traveling between the island and the mainland is the fact that the other principal bridge connecting the island, the Merrill P. Barber Bridge, is also under construction and will continue to be plagued by diversions for almost the entire calendar year 2025.

At the Indian River Boulevard intersection at the western edge of the bridge, FDOT is increasing the length of the eastbound turn lane off Indian River Boulevard onto the bridge. In the meantime, eastbound traffic onto the bridge is down to one lane at the start of the bridge, causing lengthy backups, especially early in the morning as contractors head for the island for work.