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Passage

The Intracoastal Waterway from Fort Pierce to Miami

The Atlantic ICW from Fort Pierce down to Miami: the depth the channel was built for, the drawbridges, and the lowest fixed bridge on the whole waterway.

Last checked 21 Oct 2026Sources: NOAA Coast Pilot 4, ch. 12 (2026), NOAA Coast Pilot 4, ch. 1 (2026), 33 CFR 117.261 (eCFR)

The route, mile by mile

Schematic: the stops sit at their mile figures, the line is straight.

  1. Fort PierceMile 965.6
  2. St. Lucie InletMile 987.8 · Okeechobee Waterway junction
  3. Hobe Sound bridgeMile 995.9 · bascule, 21 ft closed
  4. Jupiter Federal bridgeMile 1004.8 · bascule, 38 ft at center
  5. Jerry Thomas Memorial BridgeMile 1017.2 · fixed, 65 ft
  6. Lake Worth InletMile 1018.4 · Port of Palm Beach
  7. South end of Lake WorthMile 1034.3
  8. Atlantic Avenue bridge, Delray BeachMile 1039.6 · bascule, 12 ft at center
  9. Hillsboro InletMile 1053.9
  10. Las Olas Boulevard bridgeMile 1064 · bascule, reported 24 ft at center
  11. Fort LauderdaleMile 1065
  12. Port EvergladesMile 1066.3
  13. Julia Tuttle CausewayMile 1087.1 · fixed, 56 ft
  14. Venetian CausewayMile 1088.6 · bascule, 12 ft at center
  15. MacArthur CausewayMile 1088.8 · fixed, 65 ft
  16. MiamiMile 1089.1
  • Bridge
  • Place with a guide page

What the sources say

  • The one figure that decides this stretch The minimum overhead clearance of fixed bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway is 56 feet, at the Julia Tuttle Causeway at Miami, Mile 1087.1. The Coast Pilot calls it the least overhead clearance of the fixed bridges over the main route between Norfolk and Miami.
  • How a clearance in the Coast Pilot is meant Vertical clearances of bridges and overhead cables are in feet above mean high water unless otherwise stated, and clearances of drawbridges are for the closed position — the open clearance is given as well only for vertical-lift bridges.
  • Drawbridge schedules Almost every drawbridge on this stretch has its own paragraph in 33 CFR 117.261, "Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from St. Marys River to Key Largo". Its opening paragraph says public vessels of the United States and tugs with tows must be passed through the drawspan of each drawbridge listed in the section at any time.
  • Two of those schedules At the West Venetian Causeway Bridge, mile 1088.6, the draw shall open on signal, except that from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, including Federal holidays, it need only open on the hour and half hour. At East Las Olas, mile 1064, the draw shall open on the quarter-hour and three-quarter hour.
  • Bridge radio VHF-FM channels 13 and 16 are monitored at some of the bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway. Where the Coast Pilot knows a bridgetender's channel and call sign it names them bridge by bridge.
  • Crossing the St. Lucie River Extreme caution is advised when crossing St. Lucie River at the Okeechobee Waterway junction: cross-currents give a vessel an east or west set, depending on the direction and velocity of the current in the river, and the ranges on each side of the intersection are what keeps a vessel in the channel.
  • Slow-speed zones around Miami A slow-no wake speed zone runs from 100 yards north of the Venetian Causeway bascule bridge at Mile 1088.5 to the southern tip of Claughton Island at Mile 1090.5, and another extends 100 yards on both sides of the Rickenbacker Causeway.
Which mile Miami is at: The sources disagree.
  • "thence 10 feet to Miami, FL (ICW Mile 1089.0)" — the paragraph on project depths NOAA Coast Pilot 4, ch. 12 (2026)
  • "Miami, Miami Beach and Miami Harbor, Mile 1089.1" — the paragraph describing the city NOAA Coast Pilot 4, ch. 12 (2026)

Shown here: We show Mile 1089.0 for the end of the 10-foot project, because that is the figure the depth is tied to, and Mile 1089.1 for the city itself.

Depth the waterway was built for

Federal project depth, Fort Pierce (Mile 965.6) to Miami (Mile 1089.0)
10 ft

Project depth is what the channel was built for, not what it carries today. Controlling depths are published in the Local Notice to Mariners – use official charts and current notices.

Stops along the way

Fort Pierce
St. Lucie InletOkeechobee Waterway junction
Lake Worth InletPort of Palm Beach
South end of Lake Worth
Hillsboro Inlet
Fort Lauderdale
Port Everglades
Miami

Sources & checks

Written by buoya editorial from the sources above. Every figure was checked against its source on 21 Oct 2026. Found something wrong? Report a correction.