The Donald Ross Road bridge is open again after construction, but not for long

JUNO BEACH — After lanes were closed for construction and drivers navigated detours, the Donald Ross Road bridge is completely open to drivers again, but not for long.

Its eastbound lanes reopened on Wednesday, May 1, four days later than projected — because crews ran into problems with “the high-pressure hydraulics responsible for bridge movement," according to a Palm Beach County statement. Construction started on April 17 and the lanes were originally set to reopen on April 27.

The westbound lanes could close at any time, however. The county said in its statement that they will close “no later than” Thursday, May 9, when crews will perform the same work for the other side.

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The Juno Beach bridge, which opened to traffic in 1999, is getting new high-pressure cylinders — the parts that move the bridge up and down — and electrical controls, said Zach King, the chief construction coordinator for Palm Beach County.

The project is expected to cost $28 million.

King said no functions on the bridge are broken, but the Intracoastal Waterway span is due for these upgrades because it is over 20 years old.

The bridge sees average daily traffic of 11,000 vehicles, about 10% of which are trucks, according to 2022 state data. While the eastbound lanes were closed, traffic was rerouted south on Military Trail, east on PGA Boulevard, and then north on U.S. Highway 1, which lies just east of the bridge.

After the two phases of work are done, King does not expect the bridge to need maintenance for another 25 years, saying it will be in “tip-top shape” with the improvements.

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Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Eastbound lanes on Jupiter, Florida bridge have reopened to drivers