Residents worry new, taller bridge could ‘destroy’ Cortez

To Bobby Woodson, it doesn’t make sense to stick a round peg in a square hole.

And that’s what the co-owner of Tide Tables restaurant, which sits just south of the existing Cortez Bridge, says would happen if the state replaces the bridge rather than building a third bridge connecting the mainland to the islands as a way to alleviate traffic congestion.

“They need to address the real problem,” Woodson said. “They are trying to cram too many people onto the island. They are pouring good money after bad that can’t be fixed with any solution.”

As the state nears a decision of whether to replace the Cortez Bridge with a new bridge built to the north of the current bridge, a high-level fixed span bridge would be catastrophic to Cortez itself, Woodson predicted.

“It’s a historical area,” he said. “You don’t want to put a 65-foot fixed-span on there. I think that’s just ludicrous. You are just spending a bunch of money that’s not going to create a solution.”

The Florida Department of Transportation has yet to determine whether the Cortez Bridge will be replaced with a high-level fixed bridge — like the one that will replace the Anna Maria Island Bridge to the north.

They are reviewing four alternatives for the span connecting Cortez with Anna Maria Island: a 21-foot vertical clearance drawbridge, a 35-foot vertical clearance drawbridge, a 65-foot vertical clearance fixed bridge and just repairing the current bridge.

A recommendation is expected to be made during a public hearing late this summer, according to Zac Burch, FDOT spokesman.

One thing appears decided: “The replacement of the bridge would be constructed to the north of the current bridge,” he said.

At the Seafood Shack, which is located to the north of the current bridge, owners are most concerned about how it is going to affect the staff.

“We will go through a plan of action and we will figure out what can be done,” said Jedidiah Lippincott, chief operating officer. “Realistically, any of the alternatives are going to affect the restaurant regardless of what they do. The 65-foot span would affect us a little bit more.”

The current Cortez Bridge, which provides a 17.5-foot vertical navigational clearance, was built in 1956, according to Burch.

“The replacement of the Cortez Bridge has not been budgeted at this time,” Burch said in an email. “The other phases budgeted/programmed at this time include the engineering-design phase and the right-of-way phase. The engineering-design cost is $7.2 million and the right-of-way phase is $21.3 million. The estimated (cost range) for the bridge is $70 million to $95 million.”

FDOT met with Manatee County commissioners this month to discuss the alternatives, according to Commissioner Carol Whitmore.

While in support of a 35-foot bridge, Whitmore said she does not support the 65-foot option for Cortez.

“It never made sense on Cortez,” she said. “It would be destroying the character. When you have the character of Cortez with Seafood Shack, Tide Tables, you have all that and then you put a large slab of cement around it, you might as well be living in St. Pete. It’s just going to totally destroy an over 150-year-old fishing village.”

FDOT is “100 percent in love with high-rise bridges,” said Manatee County resident William Follmer, who lives near Cortez.

“The problem is that we have an enormous congestion problem,” he said, pointing out that the bridge is only two lanes. “The bridge is part of the problem.”

FDOT has not determined how many lanes the new Cortez Bridge would have.

“There’s just not room to handle the traffic with the one lane across the bridge,” Follmer said. “That’s a total disaster. If they would put a four-lane crossing there, it would be a big, big improvement in the traffic flow.”

It is time for the Cortez Bridge to be replaced, Whitmore acknowledged.

“That needs to happen,” she said. “We need to replace it for a safer bridge.”

Anna Maria Island Bridge to be replaced

As the future of the Cortez Bridge remains to be determined, the design of the new Anna Maria Island Bridge is underway.

“The project has not been funded for construction,” Burch said. “The current construction cost estimate is about $84 million.”

While it has already been determined that a high-level fixed bridge will replace the current Anna Maria Island Bridge, which was built in 1957, final design plans are expected to be completed in early 2020.

As design and permitting continues, a public information meeting about the Anna Maria Island Bridge will take place in either late summer or early fall.

“FDOT will construct the new bridge approximately 14 feet to the south of the existing bridge and provide 65 feet of vertical navigational clearance,” according to a project website. “FDOT anticipates the maximum height of the surface of the roadway will be approximately 74 feet.”

Design plans are expected to be 30 percent complete this fall, according to Burch.

“The new SR 64 bridge will have 11-foot shoulders and 10-foot walkways in both directions,” he said. “The wide shoulders will provide breakdown area for disabled vehicles. The 10-foot walkway will provide a safe place for pedestrian and bicyclists to walk and ride.”

An aesthetic advisory committee, which was formed to get community input on how the new Anna Maria Island Bridge should look, has met seven times so far.

“The AAC has made recommendations to the Department concerning bridge structural elements and treatments as well as landscaping and hardscaping features,” Burch said in an email. “Final AAC recommendations will be made later this month.”

Island traffic congestion

Officials say fixed-span bridges would help alleviate traffic between Anna Maria Island and the mainland.

“With a fixed-span bridge, there would be no bridge openings resulting in less traffic queuing, which would otherwise occur from a bascule (drawbridge) operation,” Burch said.

A study of possible improvements to address seasonal traffic congestion between the islands and the mainland is underway.

“Stantec is in the process of developing a full schedule for the study,” Burch said. “A kickoff meeting with the steering committee should occur within the next couple weeks. We anticipate finalizing the study in fall of 2018.”

A third connection between the islands and mainland is necessary, Follmer said.

“This county needs to purchase a right of way to take 53rd all the way out to the Gulf,” he said. “We are going to have to put a third connection over to Longboat Key. That’s absolutely going to have to happen.”

Since the study is not expected to be completed for more than a year, FDOT has been asked by local elected officials to look at improvements that could be implemented very quickly.

One of those improvements is being planned for the Cortez Road intersection at 119th Street West, which “runs pretty inefficiently,” according to David Gwynn, FDOT director of transportation operations.

“We would be willing to go in there and construct the realignment of 119th,” Gwynn said. “That would probably be a better solution that we could do if that would be feasible.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Residents worry new, taller bridge could ‘destroy’ Cortez."