As Manatee County wraps up a utility pipe relocation project, the Florida Department of Transportation is waiting in the wings preparing to build a $123 million fixed-span bridge in place of a 1956 drawbridge.
Construction of the 65-foot-clearance bridge is expected to begin with phase 1 in September. Despite the bridge replacement, traffic between Cortez and Bradenton Beach will not be halted, but roadwork impacts will continue throughout the 1,200-day construction window.
Traffic will be shifted slightly to the south at both bridge entrances. “This shift will allow crews to build new roadway approaches and project features north of the existing roadway,” FDOT’s project website states…