The Town of Jupiter Florida established the US1/Intracoastal Waterway Zoning District in 1998 to regulate and enhance pedestrian waterfront access opportunities. The Master Plan envisioned a 2.5 mile river walk from the Jupiter Ridge Natural Area to and along the southern shoreline of the Loxahatchee River Jupiter Inlet.

Constructed by Shoreline Foundation, entirely out of concrete, a key component of the river walk is the Riverwalk Lagoon Bridge. Traversing an area 800 feet in length by 14 feet in width, the bridge spans environmentally sensitive waters designated as outstanding waters of the State of Florida. The environmental conditions imposed challenging construction restrictions designed to protect mangroves, Johnson Sea Grass, manatee habitat and sawfish habitat. Construction was further complicated by shallow water depths which provided for barge access only at high tide, and limited land access. The project was also located in close proximity to existing private development and a marina, requiring the imposition of vibration restrictions on pile driving operations.

To meet the challenge of building the bridge under such tight restrictions, Shoreline Foundation fabricated all of the bridge’s concrete components in our main yard, trucked them to a staging area, transported them by shallow draft barges, and assembled the pre-cast 14 foot square by 1 foot deep deck slabs in jig-saw puzzle-like fashion. The foundation consists of 108, 14 inch square piles, 30 feet in length. The complete structure features 108 lighted concrete bollards, a decorative aluminum handrail, and earth tone paints.

The construction methodology utilized by Shoreline Foundation proved to be so successful that the project was completed within the 190 day contract schedule and built at a cost 6.2% below the contract amount. The project was recognized by the Florida Chapter of the American Public Works Association which awarded the Town of Jupiter Engineering & Public Works Department the 2009 award for “Structure of the Year.”