CORTEZ – The long-awaited construction of the new Cortez Bridge is anticipated to start near the beginning of September, according to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) spokesperson Ethan Purvis.
“The current work activities near the bridge are related to Manatee County Utilities’ underground water main crossing, which is to be completed prior to bridge construction,” Purvis wrote in a June 10 email to The Sun.
In that Manatee County project, sewer and water pipes are being moved to the south side of the bridge.
Purvis stated some of the elements for the new bridge – the precast concrete piles for the foundations and, later, the precast concrete beams – are being constructed offsite.
Construction of the 0.9-mile-long bridge will take place north of the current bridge. During construction, which is expected to take more than three years to complete, the current bridge will remain open to vehicles.
The current two-lane drawbridge was built in 1956 and links the mainland on SR 684/Cortez Road to Bradenton Beach.
The new fixed-span bridge will be 65 feet high and allow larger boats to pass underneath it without the traffic disruptions caused when the current drawbridge is raised so a boat, or boats, can pass through.
According to the public information presentation FDOT provided in 2023, the new Cortez Bridge will have two 12-foot-wide travel lanes, two 10-foot-wide shoulders and two 10-foot-wide sidewalks – with concrete barricades between the sidewalks and the shoulders.
Construction costs are estimated to be more than $130 million. The design cost alone for the bridge was $5.89 million, according to Purvis.
On Thursday, June 11, Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie said he had just been informed of the anticipated September bridge construction start date.
“I think the bridge will make a tremendous difference in traffic flow – more so for people coming off the Island,” Chappie said. “There are still challenges to get to the bridge, but I believe it will make a big difference.”
Chappie noted the residential development already occurring and the planned future development – both in the general vicinity of the bridge and countywide – will increase the use of the bridge.
“All of the new development that’s happening throughout Manatee County – and in particular, at the corner of 75th and Cortez Road – a lot of those people are going to want to come to the Island,” Chappie said. “So, you take with one hand and give with the other. I think it’s going to be a lot safer for travelers. Safety-wise, it’s going to be a tremendous improvement.”
