Drivers going to and from North Hutchinson Island have been using the new bridge since May. The rest of the causeway is still behind schedule. The bike lanes and the north-side path are closed, the observation deck is fenced off, the channel narrows every workday, and the county park at the foot of the bridge is still closed. Over the next six weeks, the people who walk, bike, boat or fish here will start getting their parts of the causeway back.
For drivers, the project was done when the ribbon was cut. Everyone else has to wait for a sequence of smaller openings, and most of them land between now and the end of the year.
Drivers got their bridge on May 15
The Florida Department of Transportation opened the new State Road A1A North Causeway Bridge on Friday, May 15, 2026, and its Treasure Coast weekly traffic report for October 16 to 23 still describes that date as the turning point for the project. The bridge lands directly at the U.S. 1 and A1A intersection on the mainland. It rises 85 feet over the water and has one 12-foot travel lane in each direction, according to St. Lucie Voice.
A few things about the new route still surprise people. The bridge does not connect to Old Dixie Highway. FDOT sends drivers through Juanita Avenue to get between U.S. 1 and Old Dixie, and northbound U.S. 1 can also be reached by way of Sunny Lane. On the island side, FDOT has one lane closed in each direction with flaggers on A1A from just east of the new bridge to Little Jim's Bridge, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through Saturday, Oct. 31. If you drive the causeway on a weekday morning this week, plan on a flagger stop until that work ends.
The bridge also has a name. Florida law designated it the E.C. Summerlin Family Bridge in a 2024 act that took effect July 1, 2024. Edward Cabell Summerlin and his wife, Polly Ann, homesteaded in St. Lucie Village in 1888, TCPalm reported when the bridge opened. FDOT's own reports already use the full name.
Walkers and cyclists are still on the south side
When the new bridge was being designed, a lot of the attention went to space for people who aren't in cars. St. Lucie Voice described two barrier-protected walkways: a 12-foot shared-use path on the westbound side and an 8-foot sidewalk on the eastbound side, with 7-foot bike lanes along both travel lanes.
Five months after opening, much of that space is still closed. Here is how the October 16 FDOT report lists each part of the bridge:
| On the causeway | Status in FDOT's Oct. 16 report |
|---|---|
| Vehicle lanes on the new bridge | Open since May 15, 2026 |
| Eastbound and westbound A1A bike lanes | Closed during construction |
| Shared-use path, north side of the bridge | Closed during construction |
| Sidewalk, south side of the bridge | Open; pedestrians are detoured here |
| Observation deck, west end of the bridge | Closed during this construction phase |
| Old D.H. "Banty" Saunders drawbridge | Permanently closed to vehicles; being demolished |
For anyone crossing on foot this fall, the south sidewalk is the route. The bike lanes and the observation deck at the west end have no announced opening date, and FDOT's project timeline puts overall completion in late 2027. Until FDOT says otherwise, cyclists who ride over to the island for a morning loop on A1A should expect to share the crossing with walkers. The old drawbridge, built in 1954, was closed to both foot and car traffic once the new span opened, as St. Lucie Voice reported in May. That means there is no second crossing to use instead.
On the water, the old bridge is leaving in pieces
Taking down the Saunders drawbridge is the busiest part of the project this fall, and it mostly affects boaters. FDOT is pulling the old bascule piers out of the waterway using cofferdams. From Sept. 23 through Monday, Dec. 1, the channel is narrowed to 40 feet of horizontal clearance between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day.
The FDOT report gives three working details:
- A full-width passage is available during work hours with one hour's notice to the on-scene tug MANDI on VHF-FM channel 13.
- Outside work hours, 85 feet of horizontal clearance is open.
- A temporary work trestle sits on the northeast side of the bridge, and barges are working right next to the channel and across it.
The old drawbridge schedule is gone too. FDOT says the drawbridge operating rule stopped being enforced at 6 p.m. on Aug. 8, 2026, and the fixed 85-foot span now sets the permanent vertical clearance at mean high water. For anyone running a boat out of Taylor Creek, there is no opening schedule to plan around anymore. Through Dec. 1, though, the channel is narrower during the workday.
Once the old bridge is in pieces, it goes offshore. TCPalm reported in July that FDOT plans to sink it at an existing reef site about six miles northeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet, which is farther out than an earlier plan described. A follow-up TCPalm story put the old span's contribution to that reef at 15,000 tons. The bridge that carried island traffic for 72 years will end up as fish habitat offshore.
Little Jim's is still serving at the foot of it all
Through all this construction, Little Jim Bait & Tackle has stayed open on the causeway, and its own site lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a note that hours can change. Its events calendar has carried afternoon live music through October, with sets listed from 1 to 5 p.m.
The land is owned by the City of Fort Pierce, and WPTV reported in August that the city kept the landmark of nearly 80 years open month to month. The city had received five formal proposals for the lease, including one from the current operators, and decided none of them met its criteria. Co-owner Donna Qvarnstrom told WPTV, "It's local and the people love local." The lease question is still open at City Hall. For now, the place is serving as usual, and lunch there is the easiest way to watch the old bridge come down from a table by the water.
November brings the park back, without a date yet
St. Lucie County's North Causeway Park, at 500 N. Causeway on North Hutchinson Island, will change the causeway more than anything else this fall. The county's parks closures page lists its expected reopening as November 2026.
The renovation is substantial. The county lists:
- A replaced and expanded boat ramp with an ADA-accessible launch
- More trailer parking, including ADA trailer spaces
- A kayak and canoe launch area
- Updated restrooms, new pavilions and picnic tables
- Better lighting and upgraded stormwater and utility systems
County commissioners awarded the $3,190,704 contract to Vecellio & Grogan Inc. in February 2024, and a $1.27 million grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission covers part of the cost. The county also says more stormwater, road and entrance work for the park will follow the bridge opening. That means the park could reopen before its entrance is fully finished.
No day or ribbon-cutting has been announced. Kayakers and trailer boaters on the island who have been launching somewhere else should check the county's closures page as November begins.
The rest of the fall calendar
In order, here is what comes next on the causeway and nearby:
- Saturday, Oct. 31. FDOT's scheduled end of the weekday and Saturday lane closures on A1A between the new bridge and Little Jim's Bridge.
- November. North Causeway Park's expected reopening, date to be announced.
- Saturday, Nov. 7. The National Navy SEAL Museum's 41st Annual Muster in Fort Pierce, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., part of a two-day event on Nov. 6 and 7. It opens with the traditional 5K at 8 a.m. This year, ongoing activities replace the single tactical demonstration. The museum lot is closed that Saturday, and a free shuttle runs from a field half a mile south. Seating is limited, so bring a folding chair. Only service animals are allowed on the grounds because military working dogs will be there.
- Monday, Dec. 1. End of the daytime channel narrowing for the drawbridge demolition.
- Late 2027. FDOT's projected completion for the whole North Causeway project.
FDOT reissues its traffic report every week, and lane schedules can change between reports. The District 4 report lists community outreach specialist Samantha Kayser at 772-579-5479 for project questions.
At Susie Wilson Real Estate, we follow changes like the North Causeway closely because they shape daily life for owners on Hutchinson Island, from launching a kayak to taking guests to lunch on the water. If you own on the island and want to talk about what this fall's changes mean for your property, request a free home valuation and consultation.
