Downtown Bradenton street reopens after repairs to busted sewer line, police say

Repairs to a broken sewage line have been made, and a busy downtown Bradenton street has been reopened to commuters trying to get home.

Northbound Ninth Street West, between Third Avenue West and Fourth Avenue West, was closed about 1:30 p.m., about an hour after the break was reported to state officials.

About 5:45 p.m., the Bradenton Police Department tweeted that the roadway had been reopened — but not before motorists became snarled in traffic jams on Manatee Avenue West and other streets in and near downtown Bradenton as they tried to reach the Green Bridge to head toward Palmetto.

The Bradenton Police Department announced the closure just before 1:30 p.m.

BPD tweeted out the traffic alert, saying the closure was due to a “sewer main issue,” and that traffic was being diverted from the area.

According to the city’s report to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a contractor hit the force main and at least 3,000 gallons of sewage escaped into nearby storm drains en route to the Manatee River.

The road closure announcement came about an hour after the incident, according to the FDEP’s public notice of pollution, which states the incident started at around 12:22 p.m.

DEP will release an updated report when a better estimate is provided as to the number of gallons of sewage spilled.

This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 2:01 PM.