Kissimmee River Restoration, S-69 Weir, Okeechobee and Highlands Counties, Florida

The S-69 Weir in Okeechobee and Highlands Counties, Florida is part of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project (KRR). The Project Description for the S-69 Weir includes the following: design and construction of a steel sheet pile U-shaped Weir, earthen tie-back levees, concrete apron /access road, levee erosion armoring, channel backfill, site grading and incidental related work that will be depicted on preliminary drawings. The S-69 U-Shaped Weir Project will backfill the C-38 canal just above the CSX Railroad Bridge in order to redirect flow into the historic Kissimmee River channel and rehydrate the upstream floodplain. Because the historic river channel has a much lower flow capacity than the C-38 canal, a passive water control structure will be needed in order to alleviate flooding onto lands outside the Kissimmee River boundaries that are not owned by the South Florida Water Management District. This control structure will be constructed at the downstream terminus of the C-38 backfill and will be a steel sheet pile weir which will be roughly 3'-0" above the existing local grade elevation. During storm events, the weir will spill floodwater into the remaining portion of the C-38 canal downstream of the weir. The weir has been located at a safe distance upstream of the existing CSX Railroad Bridge in order to avoid potential scour of its bridge piers. In order to close the system and create the flood plain, earth tie-back levees will be provided between the downstream ends of the weir and the railroad embankment. A 14' wide unpaved road will be constructed along the crest of the levees on both banks of the river for maintenance egress. The access roads above the levees will be connected by a 16' wide concrete apron on the downstream side of the weir that will serve as both a roadway and erosion control.