SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Roughly $1 billion in bridge replacement projects are in the works across the Suncoast, affecting five major crossings in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
The Longboat Pass Bridge is currently in the project development and environment study phase. The DeSoto Bridge, connecting Bradenton to Palmetto, and the Little Ringling Bridge to St. Armands on Lido Key are both in the design phase. The Anna Maria and Cortez bridges are heading toward construction.
Ryan Brown, of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, said many of the existing structures have been in place for decades…