FELLSMERE — The highly sought after pedestrian overpass for Interstate 95 at the Fellsmere/Sebastian exit is about two years away from becoming a walkable reality, the Fellsmere City Council learned Thursday evening.
The $3.7 million project is expected to be funded sometime in the summer of 2016 and construction could be complete sometime in 2017, according to Ian Biava, of TranSystems, who gave the presentation.
The overpass will provide pedestrians and cyclists a safe route across the interstate and will be a continuation of the Rails-to-Trails project Indian River County and Fellsmere have been working on.
The overpass will be situated just north of the current interchange and will connect with the trail that leads to the North County Aquatic Center on the east and the Fellsmere Preserve on the west.
There will be fencing along the span of the overpass and decorative arches to create a visual aesthetic.
Vice Mayor Joel Tyson questioned the short, 54-inch tall fencing the plans call for, citing concerns that people would throw items over the fence down onto the highway below.
“The mentality nowadays,” he said, adding that if people can do such a thing, they would.
Biava showed the Council other fencing options, one looked like a reverse aviary with tall fencing and a fenced roof. The options elicited groans from Council members.
Tyson said it was a matter of “aesthetics versus safety.”
City Manager Jason Nunemaker told Tyson that he believes there would be some matter of self-policing among those who would use the overpass, noting that the type of person who would be traversing the trail would most likely not be the type of person who would throw items over the side of the bridge.
Current models for the bridge show signage going along the length saying “Trans Florida Central Railroad Trail” and images of a train engine on the bridge and side wall, harkening back to Fellsmere’s railroad history.
TranSystems plans to return to the Fellsmere City Council to execute a final agreement that is needed between the City, the County and the Florida Department of Transportation. That agreement splits the responsibility of the overpass’s maintenance between the three governments.
A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Encore Sunshine Travel RV Resort located at 9455 108th Ave., behind the McDonald’s on County Road 512.
