Pleasure boaters on the Okeechobee Waterway in need of high clearance will not be able to pass under the Point Chosen Swing Bridge for nearly 6 weeks beginning next month.
Work on the bridge begins Oct 12. The installation of a temporary platform from the bridge will limit watercraft clearance to just 8 feet from mid October through December 22.
Jeffrey Prather, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tells WGCU there must be an emergency for bigger boats to pass through and there could be extensive wait times to do so.
The Point Chosen Swing Bridge onto Torrey Island is just west of Belle Glade.
It was built in 1935, and is the oldest swing drawbridge in Florida.
It is believed to be the only swing bridge in the state still operating manually via a crank.
The one-lane bridge allows traffic on and off of Torry island at Slims Fish Camp.
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