The Winter Park City Commission unanimously approved a $1.6 million project Wednesday to replace the aging Stirling Avenue bridge over Howell Creek (which connects all the way to Orlando’s Lake Formosa), a timber structure city officials say has reached the end of its useful life.
The 5-0 vote clears the way for the city to move forward with funding from the Florida Department of Transportation. The project will remove the existing wood box culverts and replace them with a modern concrete flat-slab bridge with two travel lanes and two sidewalks. Construction could begin as early as this spring and is expected to take roughly seven and a half months.
The bridge sits on Stirling Avenue about 200 feet east of Lakeview Drive, in a residential area west of downtown and Rollins College.
City Engineer Don Marcotte described the structure as “an old wood box culvert bridge” that has been monitored through years of testing and inspections. He noted that resident complaints have largely centered on the railing, but said the underlying structure is the real driver of the replacement. A state funding request filed with the Florida Senate describes the bridge as approximately 70 years old and notes its purpose is to replace a structure “reaching its final years of useful life.”
The total project cost is $1,607,731. The city will cover roughly 69 percent, or $1,107,731, with FDOT reimbursing the remaining $500,000 under a grant agreement that requires the city to pay upfront.
The city has already obtained permits from the St. Johns River Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The timeline calls for a construction bid opening by April 15, a 227-day construction window, and a target completion date of January 21, 2027. A detour plan for Stirling Avenue motorists and pedestrians has not yet been announced.
