Cortez Bridge meeting highlights updated replacement plans

BRADENTON – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) hosted a public information meeting to provide new details about the pending Cortez Bridge replacement project.

The informal setting at Kirkwood Church in Bradenton on Jan. 31 provided attendees an opportunity to view informational panels detailing various design and aesthetic aspects of the fixed-span bridge planned to replace the existing Cortez Road drawbridge, built in 1956.

FDOT representatives were on hand to answer questions and discuss the plans that include several recommendations provided by the Bridge Aesthetics Committee (BAC), which consists of 11 local residents, condominium owners and business owners who have met several times since the committee was formed in mid-2020. Comment sheets allowed attendees to share their written comments on the plans.

The informational slides, a 19-minute video presentation and more can be viewed at the project website. Comments can still be submitted online at the project website. Comments received by Feb. 10 will be included in the meeting summary to be released in late February or early March.

“I hope they got an under- standing of where we’re at with the current design of the bridge and hopefully we’ve been able to answer some of their questions,” FDOT Design Project Manager Ryan Weeks said during the meeting.

FDOT Communications Specialist Adam Rose said, “We’re showing the design of the bridge, as well as taking comments to better fit the bridge needs for the local public and the traveling public. We’re trying to facilitate every aspect of transportation we can on this bridge.”

Rose said FDOT has not yet decided what will happen to the existing drawbridge once the new bridge is completed. He said bridge replacement projects often result in the demolition of the old bridge, but some old bridges are converted into fishing piers instead.

“The department will eventually make that decision. We haven’t made that decision yet,” Rose said.

BAC member Connie Morrow attended the meeting and said, “The Department of Transportation worked with the aesthetics committee from the very beginning. One of the things we asked for was assurance that what we did and what we produced would carry through regardless of the height of the bridge so our efforts would not be a waste.”

Morrow said the images and information presented Tuesday night accurately reflect the BAC members’ recommendations, which include multi-column bridge piers, a sand-colored bridge and bridge columns, blue railings and light poles, four curved and bench-less observation points and a multi-wave design pattern for the retention walls at both ends of the new bridge.

The bridge replacement project contract is scheduled to be awarded to a contractor in the summer of 2025 and construction is expected to begin in late 2025 or early 2026.

The new bridge will be built north of the existing bridge, with horizontal curves at each end of the bridge that bring the traffic flow into alignment with the existing roadway. Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists will continue using the existing bridge until the new bridge is completed.

At its highest point, the fixed-span bridge will provide at least 65 feet of vertical clearance
for vessels passing below. The new bridge will be 68 feet and 3 inches wide and consist of two 12-foot-wide travel lanes (one in each direction), two 10-foot-wide shoulders and two 10-foot-wide sidewalks buffered by concrete barriers.

The roadways approaching the bridge will feature two 11-foot-wide travel lanes (one in each direction), 6-foot-wide bike lanes and 10-foot-wide sidewalks.

The east end of the project will include the construction of a new road called Hunters Point Way that will connect Cortez Road and 127th Street West and provide access to businesses and homes in that area.

Coastal Watersports owner John Cadmus attended Tuesday’s meeting to learn more about the new bridge’s potential impact on his business. He wondered if parking spaces, bike racks and pedestrian amenities would be installed under the Cortez side of the bridge.

“They don’t seem to have parking under the bridge,” he said after speaking to FDOT representatives.

“I think it’s going to be a great project. I’m supportive of the bridge, but I’m concerned that there’s no end date for the construction. They couldn’t tell me if it would be two years or five years,” Cadmus said.

The plans include three stormwater retention ponds identified as stormwater maintenance facilities along the southwest end of the bridge in Bradenton Beach. One retention area, SMF 3-1, is located near the Bradenton Beach police station. Two more are to be located near the Bradenton Beach Marina, including one, SMF 3-3, that will extend under the new bridge and impact the existing pedestrian and bike pathway there.

Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie is concerned about the retention area SMF 3-1 being located at the north end of the police department parking lot, which has metal railings that can be removed to provide direct vehicular access from Highland Avenue to Cortez Road if Gulf Drive is blocked during a storm, hurricane or other emergencies.

“This is vital for public safety,” Chappie said of the railings.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Chappie shared his concerns with Weeks.

“We’ve been told they’ll be making accommodations in that area and they understood our concern, but on the drawing, nothing’s changed. The retention pond is in the way,” Chappie said.

The online video notes the bridge replacement plans don’t include improvements to the Gulf Drive/Cortez Road intersection. Chappie said FDOT is planning a separate complete streets project during the 2023-24 fiscal year that may address safety concerns with the existing sidewalks and crosswalks there.