Construction of the new State Road 44 bridge over the St. Johns River, which replaced the old Francis P. Whitehair Bridge, has been completed. This new bridge is now fully operational and open for public use.  GEC was part of the Inwood Consulting Engineers team, providing Geotechnical and Contamination assessment services on this area shaping project.

The Florida Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 30 to commemorate its grand opening. State and local officials showed up to support the occasion, and a procession of vintage vehicles took the first drive across the new bridge.

The expanded lanes within this new construction are expected to alleviate the dense flow of vehicular traffic as the population has steadily increased since the 68-year-old Whitehair Bridge was originally installed.

Additional upgrades include a 45-foot clearance to accommodate water traffic and eliminate the need for a drawbridge, updated traffic signals at the intersection of S.R. 44 and County Road 42, two new stormwater management ponds, improved access roads to and from the bridge and a 12-foot-wide shared-use path along the length of the bridge, which will eventually connect to a longer recreational trail.

The historic Whitehair Bridge, a midlevel fixed-span bridge, is a movable drawbridge that was built in 1955 and required frequent repairs to keep it maintained due to its age. With its replacement now open, the FDOT intends to demolish the Whitehair Bridge.

The new S.R. 44 bridge is the heart of the FDOT’s $47 million roadway improvement project, which is expected to improve commerce via streamlined transportation routes, offer more recreational areas for the public, and cut down on maintenance costs for outmoded projects.

FDOT District 5 Secretary John E. Tyler and representatives from community partners, including Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower and Lake County District 3 Commissioner and Chairman Kirby Smith spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. They expressed their pride in the new project and hopes for its benefits to the communities it connects.