MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A busy bay area bridge is now open again after crews repaired a gaping hole.
As the Anna Maria Island Bridge gets older, 8 On Your Side is asking what drivers are also wondering: will it happen again?
Previous report: Anna Maria Island Bridge reopens after hole in road shut down all but one lane
The Anna Maria Island Bridge was completed in 1957, and construction on a new bridge is set to begin in four years. Drivers said it can’t come soon enough.
The bridge was closed to eastbound traffic on Aug. 28 but re-opened the next morning following emergency repairs.
“There’s a high volume of traffic, mixed with saltwater and extreme weather conditions and this particular area is located over the seawall, so some of that mixture caused corrosion of the concrete on that deck on the bridge,” said Janella Newsome, FDOT director of public information in district 1.
Newsome said heavy rainfall caused the hole in a section of the concrete that was repaired in June 2022. Chief meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said it’s been the rainiest summer on record!