Saturday, Oct. 04, 2008

Islanders report they're bridging the gap

Five days after the Anna Maria Island Bridge closed for repairs, shops, restaurants and commuters reported mixed traffic and business experiences.

Though residents and businesses braced for the 45-day closure this week, organizing a community market, concert and mini golf tournament to stave off business losses, it's unclear whether this weekend's planned Bridging the Gap events have that much of a gap to bridge.

Cortez Road businesses say results are normal, if not a little better than usual, and Holmes Beach establishments say traffic is mixed.

Meanwhile, residents say the drive to Anna Maria hasn't worsened.

Cortez Market owner Lou Nassar said there's been no effect on his mini grocery, which he's owned for 30 years.

Nassar said he expected the opposite - that an influx of drivers to and from the island would congest roadways and slow business.

"It should be slower when the traffic is heavy, but the traffic is not heavy," he said.

In Bradenton Beach, Beach House restaurant manager John Gunther said the week's sales are on par with the time of year. Like other hospitality-industry businesses, he said, the seafood and pasta eatery's slow season extends from late April to the end of November.

Next door, nautical gift store owner Jan Holman said there's more traffic: People that would take Manatee Avenue now take Cortez Avenue and are popping into The Sea Hagg.

At Melinda's Cafe and Catering, owner Melinda Lampariello said the detour has struck a definite blow to her business.

Rather than the normal lunch crowd of 20-30 people, she said, only a family of three was visiting Melinda's dining room Friday afternoon.

"I think it's the bridge and all of the events going on," she said.

To cope, Lampariello is closing for vacation today and reopening in a week.

She hopes several catering jobs will make up for the loss, but said she'll miss the financial boost she normally gets from big-ticket food sales.

At the Domino's Pizza across the street at 5606 Marina Dr., the bridge closure became a marketing ploy, the marquee letters try to lure customers with the phrase: "The Bridge is closed and you still got thirty minutes."

Assistant manager Jessica Eldridge said the store's been slammed by an influx in lunchtime orders - around $300, compared to $100 on a normal business day.

"Business people who go into town normally now order from us," she said.

Several drivers of the Island's thoroughfares say the traffic remains stable.

"We drive everyday, and we haven't really noticed a difference," said traffic signal technician Nick Wessesser, who alongside technician Travis Luke traveled to the island Friday for the first time since the closure.

They say the trip from the mainland to Cortez - originally expected to take on a bottleneck with drivers who'd normally take the Anna Maria Bridge - is still between 20 minutes to a half hour.

And Holman, who lives on Anna Maria Island, said traffic is "as smooth as it could be."

But 82nd Street NW resident Jerry Bradley counters that the drive has quintupled.

Five days ago, Bradley said, it took three minutes to drive from the intersection of Cortez Road and Gulf Drive to Manatee County Beach. Friday, it took 15.

Bradley reads New York Times bestsellers while his wife - who he calls "the beach person" in the couple - enjoys the sand and sun, several times a week.

He said the delay probably isn't going to deter their beach visits.

"I would like it to stop me," he joked.