This clearance is referred to a stage of the waterway itself, not to a tidal datum. Wind, rain and the level the Corps holds change what is really there.
“referred to a St. Lucie Canal stage of 14.5 feet”
“The South Central Florida Express Railroad bridge across the waterway here has a lift span with clearances of 7 feet down and 49 feet up.”Datum
Coast Pilot 4, under the heading “Heights”: “Overhead clearances on the St. Lucie Canal from St. Lucie Lock to Port Mayaca Lock are referred to a St. Lucie Canal stage of 14.5 feet.” The figure is therefore not referred to a tidal datum.
The lowest bridge on the waterway
Coast Pilot 4: “The minimum clearance under bridges across the Okeechobee Waterway is 49 feet at the lift bridge at Mile 38.0.”
Two sources, two operators
Coast Pilot 4 calls it “The South Central Florida Express Railroad bridge”; 33 CFR 117.317(e) calls it “Florida East Coast Railroad bridge, mile 38.0, at Port Mayaca”. Both are primary and both stand.
What the figure is tied to
Coast Pilot 4 ties this clearance to a canal stage of 14.5 feet, that is to a water level, so 49 feet is the figure at that stage and not a fixed height. What the clearance is on any given day is not in this source.
Sources & checks
- NOAA U.S. Coast Pilot 4, 2026 (58th) Edition, Chapter 12 – Intracoastal Waterway · 18 Oct 2026
- 33 CFR 117.317 – Okeechobee Waterway (eCFR, title 33 as of 19 Oct 2026) · 19 Oct 2026