Kissimmee River restoration project

In Florida the Kissimmee River originally meandered over 100 miles from Lake Kissimmee to Lake Okeechobee through a flood plain that was one to two miles wide. The river was later channelized to improve navigation and mitigate flooding. This effort adversely affected the environment by draining two-thirds of the flood plain.

The bridge work allowed the Army Corps of Engineers to put the river back into its original meandering configuration in the bridge area. These actions provided a more natural fluctuation of water levels in both the upper and lower basins, enhancing marshes.

The project consisted of the construction of a new bridge that will carry the CSX Railroad across a restored section of the Kissimmee River.

Lane Construction (Webuild Group) initially constructed a temporary detour, located north of the existing bridge, and then built the new bridge on the existing mainline railroad track. The scope of work included erosion and sediment control, demolition, removal and disposal of buried remnant portions of a previous bridge, earthwork and track work for the permanent mainline, bridge substructure and superstructure, fender system, and solar-powered navigation lights.

Among the project's benefits, the restoration of the Kissimmee River and the Florida Everglades to environmental soundness and the re-establishment of fish and wildlife populations on the river.