Photo: Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The U.S. Coast Guard is considering how much time to order a railroad bridge on the Treasure Coast to remain closed once Brightline trains start rolling through the area.
45 minutes per hour is under consideration, but Congressman Brian Mast invited a Coast Guard admiral to the area surrounding the St. Lucie bridge on Monday.
"What some of their statisticians in Washington, D.C. or somebody else came up with about ideas for our waterway and how many boats can get through there are absolutely absurd and unsafe."
He and the Mayor of Stuart are concerned that giving boats only 15 minutes an hour to pass will cause problems for law enforcement and first responders. They've proposed 30 minutes.
"That they thought they could move 70-plus boats through that narrow passage on the St. Lucie waterway between the train bridges in a 15 minute window, absolutely untrue. It is next to impossible to do that."
The Coast Guard watched a demonstration featuring Customs and Border Patrol as well as local law enforcement.
A decision is expected around January. Brightline is expected to expand to Orlando early 2023.