If you've driven U.S. 1 between Northlake Boulevard and Anchorage Drive lately, the stretch probably looks about the same as it has for months: two lanes each way, barrels along the west side, and a canal you can't boat under. The progress is easy to miss because most of it is already done. As of September 15, 2026, FDOT counted the Earman River Bridge Replacement at day 583 of an 811-day contract and 72% complete. The new southbound bridge and the drainage work are finished.
Traffic has been running on the new northbound span since the March 2026 shift. That means both halves of the new crossing now exist. Most of the work left is about restoring what residents actually use: the west sidewalk, a third lane each way, bike lanes, a second turn lane onto Northlake, and the boat channel under the bridge.
Where Things Stand This Week
FDOT moved all traffic onto the newly built northbound bridge starting March 16, 2026, with two lanes open in each direction, so crews could build the southbound side. That setup is still in place. A traffic roundup BocaNewsNow published on October 4, 2026, lists southbound U.S. 1 as shifted onto the new northbound bridge, two lanes each way, until spring 2027. It also notes that the southbound outside lane from Anchorage Drive to Northlake Boulevard closes off and on from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Those hours follow FDOT's permitted work windows. Here's what the project's September 2026 information sheet allows:
- Daytime lane closures from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Overnight lane closures from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.
- Pile driving from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The same sheet says access to businesses and residences will stay open throughout. FDOT's March shift flyer specifically says the businesses and homes on the west side stay reachable. If you're heading to IHOP at 312 U.S. Highway 1, right at the Northlake intersection, or to Frigate's at 400 U.S. Highway 1, the driveways are open even when the travel lanes are tight.
What's Finished and What Isn't
The quarterly report splits the job into finished milestones, work planned for September 2026 through January 2027, and milestones still ahead. Put side by side, the remaining work is almost all at street level.
| Status | Item |
|---|---|
| Done | New southbound bridge built |
| Done | Drainage improvements |
| Planned, Sept. 2026 to Jan. 2027 | West sidewalk reconstruction |
| Planned, Sept. 2026 to Jan. 2027 | Widening along southbound U.S. 1 |
| Planned, Sept. 2026 to Jan. 2027 | Asphalt paving, signage and pavement markings |
| Planned, Sept. 2026 to Jan. 2027 | Traffic separator and concrete barrier wall on the east side of the bridge |
| Upcoming | Traffic shifts onto the new southbound bridge |
| Upcoming | West sidewalk reopens to pedestrians |
| Upcoming | Three travel lanes and bike lanes open in each direction |
The report gives no dates for the upcoming milestones. Any calendar you see attached to them is a guess.
The Order You Get Things Back
The milestone list does suggest a sequence, because each step depends on the one before it:
- Traffic moves to the new southbound span. The east-side barrier wall and traffic separator on FDOT's fall and winter work list come first.
- The west sidewalk reopens. For now, pedestrians are directed to the east-side sidewalk, and a Village project update from spring 2026 told people to stay out of the west-side work zone.
- Three lanes and bike lanes open in each direction. Under the current layout, bike lanes in both directions stop at Northlake Boulevard and Anchorage Drive, per the Village's April 2026 update. Once finished, the stretch will have 4-foot and 5-foot bike lanes through the whole project area.
The finished design also includes pieces that don't appear on the milestone list but matter to anyone who uses this intersection. According to FDOT's project page, the road is being widened for a second right-turn lane from southbound U.S. 1 onto westbound Northlake Boulevard. Signals, lighting, curb ramps and the Intelligent Transportation System are being upgraded, and benches and planters are going in along the corridor for the Village of North Palm Beach.
That second turn lane will probably make the biggest difference for drivers. The southbound turn onto Northlake is the main route west, and the new lane widens exactly that approach.
So When Is It Actually Done?
FDOT's own documents don't agree. The project page and the September quarterly report both say spring 2027. The project information sheet dated September 2026 says summer 2027. So did the flyer from the Village's February 2025 public meeting, held at the North Palm Beach Library at 303 Anchorage Drive.
The contract count is the more concrete clue. Day 583 of 811 fell on September 15, 2026, which left 228 contract days. Counted on the calendar, that's around the start of May 2027, which fits the spring estimate. Contract days can shift with weather and change orders, though, so read it as a target. FDOT lists the project's start date as February 10, 2025.
The Canal Runs on a Different Clock
Boaters get the least attention in coverage of this project, and their timeline doesn't match the road's. FDOT's September 2026 information sheet says the channel stays closed through Phases 2 and 3 of construction. The Village's project update and the October 4 BocaNewsNow roundup both say the channel is closed through spring 2027.
The Coast Guard gives an earlier date. Its Local Notice to Mariners, last updated September 30, 2026, lists the waterway at the bridge as closed to navigation from February 10, 2025, through January 7, 2027. Nothing published so far resolves the gap between January and spring. If you keep a boat behind the bridge, check the latest Coast Guard notice before planning around a January reopening.
Until it reopens, the Coast Guard sends mariners up the northern canal to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, under the Lighthouse Drive Bridge. That bridge has 14.5 feet of vertical clearance and 22.5 feet of horizontal clearance. Know your boat's air draft before you count on that route.
The closure also affects arrivals by water. Frigate's describes its North Palm Beach location as sitting directly on the Earman River with a full-service boat dock. For launching, the Village's ramp at Anchorage Park Marina is for residents only. An annual permit costs $100 plus tax, and a temporary $10 launch permit is available at the Anchorage Park activities building, 603 Anchorage Drive.
Why the Old Span Had to Go
The original bridge dated to 1956 and was reconstructed in 2003. In October 2017 it partially collapsed, when a roughly 20-foot piece of sidewalk and wall gave way, as WFLX reported at the time. CBS12 later put that section at 83,000 pounds of sidewalk and barrier. FDOT's engineering case study traces the problem to the failure of an exterior slab unit in Span 2 and notes that the bridge had been rated structurally deficient.
The replacement uses different materials. According to the same FDOT case study, it's the first full bridge replacement in District 4 built with Florida Slab Beam units that use carbon fiber reinforced polymer strands and glass fiber reinforced polymer reinforcement. FDOT also calls it the widest Florida Slab Beam bridge built to date. When construction was about to begin in February 2025, North Palm Beach Mayor Susan Bickel told CBS12 that raising the new bridge slightly would help boat traffic.
Who to Ask When Something Changes
FDOT says lane closures, detours and pedestrian impacts are posted in its weekly traffic report for Palm Beach County. The FDOT project page lists Silvana Ojeda, Community Outreach Specialist, at (561) 905-0167. The September quarterly report names Stefan Howard as FDOT Project Manager, reachable at (561) 370-1137. For boating questions, the Coast Guard notice directs mariners to USCG Sector Miami Waterways Division at (305) 535-4317. The Village of North Palm Beach also posts project updates through its news flash page.
If you own a home near the U.S. 1 corridor or along the Earman River and want to know how the finished bridge, the new turn lane and a reopened channel might affect your property's value, The Cuomo Team can walk you through recent nearby sales. Request your free market analysis.
