Officials say the Sebastian Inlet bridge will need to be replaced due to being damaged in Hurricane Dorian. The new bridge construction could cost upward of $11 million with bike lanes.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), a recent inspection of the bridge at the Sebastian Inlet reveals “potential structural deficiencies.”

The bridge, built in the mid-1960s, is very narrow and currently lacks any bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Officials say this is problematic because there are cyclists who use the bridge.

Motorists will be detoured and have to drive an estimated 40 extra miles around from Melbourne to Vero Beach when construction begins.

FDOT officials say the Sebastian Inlet bridge is still safe to drive.

A date for construction has not been set, but it could begin somewhere in 2020-2021.

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About Andy Hodges

Andy Hodges was born in Annapolis, Maryland. When he was age 9, his parents moved to Jupiter, Florida. Andy spent several years at various radio & television stations in Florida such as WLIZ, WFLX-FOX 29, WIRK, WIXI, WKSY, WRMF, and WJNO to name a few. In 1994, Andy made a career change to computer programming and worked for several technology companies (two are Fortune 500) in Atlanta, Georgia. However, Andy returned to Florida and settled in the small town of Sebastian in 2002. In 2005, he returned to the broadcasting news sector and eventually joined our news team in 2016 as editor in chief. Andy's family has lived in Sebastian for more than 45 years.