Brightline Underpass Project Prompts Lane Closures/Detours on SR528 March 14-30
BREVARD COUNTY, FL. – A rail underpass being installed under SR-528 in Brevard County will lead to temporary lane closures and detours that could add an additional 15 to 20 minutes to trips to Orlando – or from Orlando to Brevard County’s beaches – beginning Sunday, March 14, and lasting through Tuesday, March 30.
Brightline Trains will make construction history when it builds the rail underpass under SR-528 in Brevard County, becoming the first in North America to use the innovative box-jacking method under a highway system and the first to do so under live traffic.
The SR-528 tunnel, located just west of US-1, will be constructed over a two-week span using box-jacking. The method uses hydraulic jacks to move precast concrete boxes into place, creating a tunnel under the roadway. An anti-drag system will be used when installing the boxes to allow for traffic to continue to travel overtop the work.
During construction, SR-528 will be reduced to one lane in each direction and some entrance and exit ramps will be closed to reduce congestion on the highway. Full detours of SR-528 will be limited to overnight hours at the start and finish of the project.
The box-jacking system uses hydraulic jacks to push three precast concrete boxes, each weighing between 3,300 and 4,600 tons, under SR-528. The installation will progress at approximately three feet per hour and will take 40 – 50 workers working 12-hour shifts to keep the operation running 24/7. The underpass, once constructed, will measure 31-feet high by 43-feet wide, will be the length of a football field and will accommodate two trains side-by-side. The underpass will allow Brightline to travel between South Florida and Central Florida and pass under SR-528, eliminating the need for a railroad crossing.
The Petrucco box-jacking method is commonly used in Europe and around the globe for rail construction, but has seen limited use in North America. The SR-528 project will mark the fifth use of this method in North America and the second on the Brightline high-speed rail project to Orlando. In September 2020, Brightline became the first to use box-jacking outside of the northeast when it built an underpass under Goldenrod Rd. in just nine days. Traditional underpass construction would have shut down the roadway for nearly a year.
The box-jacking work is part of Brightline’s Orlando extension project which covers 170-miles from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport and will connect Miami to Orlando via high-speed rail. Construction of the $2.7B project is expected to be completed in late 2022.
SR-528 Closures and Detours
LANE CLOSURES
Eastbound & westbound SR-528 (from Industry Rd. to US-1)
Full road closure with detour:
- 10 p.m., Sunday, March 14 to 5 a.m., Monday, March 15
- 10 p.m., Monday, March 29 to 5 a.m., Tuesday, March 30
Detour Info:
- Eastbound SR-528 traffic will be directed to exit at Clearlake Rd. (Exit 45), travel south on Industry Rd. to SR-524, travel east on SR-524/Clearlake Rd. & follow south to SR-520 to US-1 & travel north to US-1 to access eastbound SR-528.
- Westbound SR-528 traffic will be directed to exit at US-1 (Exit 46), travel south on US-1 to SR-520 to Clearlake Rd., travel north on Clearlake Rd. to Industry Rd. & travel north on Industry Rd. to access westbound SR-528.
Eastbound and Westbound SR-528 (from Industry Rd. to US-1)
Single lane closure in each direction, 5 a.m., Monday March, 15 through 10 p.m., Monday, March 29.
- Traffic will be shifted to west side of SR-528 and will be reduced to one lane in each direction. As work progresses, traffic will be shifted from the westbound to the eastbound side of SR-528 remaining in one lane in each direction.
RAMP CLOSURES
Northbound Industry Rd. entrance ramp to eastbound 528
Full ramp closure, 10 p.m., Sunday, March 14 to 5 a.m., Tuesday, March 30.
Detour Info:
- Northbound Industry Rd. traffic wishing to travel east on SR-528 will be directe4d to travel south on Industry Rd. to SR-524, travel east on SR-524 to Clearlake Rd., travel south on Clearlake Rd. to SR-520, travel east on SR-520 to US-1 & travel north on US-1 to access eastbound SR-528.
Northbound US-1 entrance ramp to westbound SR-528
Full ramp closure, 10 p.m., Sunday, March 14 to 5 a.m., Tuesday, March 30.
Detour Info:
- Northbound US-1 traffic wishing to travel west on SR-528 will be directed to travel south on US-1 to SR-520, travel west on SR-520 to Clearlake Rd., travel north on Clearlake Rd. to Industry Rd. and travel north on Industry Rd. to access westbound SR-528.
Eastbound SR-528 exit ramp to northbound US-1 (Exit 46)
Full ramp closure, 10 p.m., Sunday, March 14 to 5 a.m., Tuesday, March 30.
Detour Info:
- Eastbound SR-528 traffic wishing to travel north on US-1 will be directed to exit early at Industry Rd./Clearlake Rd. (Exit 45), travel south on Industry Rd. to SR-524, travel east on SR-524 to Clearlake Rd., travel south on Clearlake Rd. to SR-520, travel east on SR-520 to US-1 & travel north on US-1 to access eastbound SR-528.
