JUNO BEACH, Fla. — Starting Thursday, northern Palm Beach County drivers can expect more delays if they traverse the Donald Ross Road bridge.
Palm Beach County officials announced that the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway will be closed westbound May 9-23 to complete required bridge maintenance.
This will include westbound right lane closures from U.S. Highway 1 and northbound left turn lane closure at Ellison Wilson Road.
Officials said traffic will be detoured via U.S. Highway 1, PGA Boulevard and Alternate A1A.
Juno Beach
Why are Donald Ross Road bridge closures happening now?
The westbound lane closures are for the second portion of maintenance work to replace outdated hydraulic and electrical systems.
Eastbound lanes were closed for about 12 days in late April, frustrating drivers and businesses.
"The $5.7 million enhancement project will address outdated components, improve operational efficiency (reduce amount of time required for opening and closing operations) and reduce future maintenance downtime," Palm Beach County officials said in a written statement.
Juno Beach
Eastbound Donald Ross Road at Bascule Bridge back open
A spokesperson for Palm Beach County said last week that it elected to perform the project in the middle of April for various factors.
"Since the tourist season is over and people are returning north, there will be a reduced volume of traffic during this time, minimizing the disruption to commuters," a county engineer said in a written statement. "The bridge is currently operating inefficiently and requires immediate component replacement to ensure its functionality. Delaying until summer could worsen the situation, causing inconvenience to commuters and posing safety risks if the bridge gets stuck in the up position."
Palm Beach County Engineering and Public Works staff said they investigated two-way traffic on half of the bridge during the closure but found there wasn't enough space to safely transition traffic back to the correct side before or after the bridge.
