It’s time to have your say on what should be done with Longboat Pass bridge
Built in 1957 and reconstructed in 2005, the aging Longboat Pass Bridge spans one of the most picturesque water views in Manatee County, connecting Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.
The Florida Department of Transportation wants to know what residents think should be done with the bridge. Alternatives to be evaluated include rehabilitation of the existing bridge, a new high-level fixed bridge and a moveable bridge.
FDOT is hosting a hybrid (online and live in-person) public kickoff meeting for the project, which would range south from the Coquina Park entrance south to North Shore Road.
The meeting will be held on on the project’s website, www.swflroads.com/sr789/longboatkey and with a live in-person component.
Project meeting materials are now on line for review through April 2. The live component will be held 5-7 p.m. Tuesday in the dining room of the Harbourside dining room at 3000 Harbourside Ballroom, Longboat Key.
In 2019, the Herald reported that FDOT had sent $10 million on repairs and maintenance for the bridge over the previous decade.
Bridge projects, for new spans or replacements, always tend to be highly contentious.
In 2019, FDOT announced it was recommending a 65-foot-high fixed bridge to replace the Cortez Bridge, built in 1956, to connect Cortez to Anna Maria Island.
Bridge inspection reports conducted between 2008 and 2012 show that the Cortez Bridge is functionally obsolete because of lack of shoulders, nine-inch concrete curbs separating the travel lanes from the sidewalk and old style bridge railings, according to FDOT.
“Due to the naturally corrosive salt water environment, the bridge continues to deteriorate and will need additional repairs in the future. The condition of the bridge is anticipated to deteriorate further as the structure has exceeded its 50-year service life. Replacement of the bridge will address the condition of the structure and reinforce the connection between Anna Maria Island and the mainland of Manatee County,” FDOT said.
Design of the new Cortez Bridge is expected to be completed in the spring of 2025.
Former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash filed a petition in 2019 for a formal administrative hearing on the case, arguing that FDOT misrepresented key information in their final report and that a 35-foot drawbridge design would be more in line with Cortez’s historic image.
“FDOT did a very poor job of demonstrating the effect this bridge will have. It divides the community and the historic nature of Cortez,” McClash said at the time. “The biggest concern is the aesthetics we’re trying to maintain in the community.”
The petition escalated to a pending federal lawsuit.
FDOT is also planning to replace the Anna Maria Bridge with a high-rise bridge.
“The new fixed-span bridge will provide 65 feet of vertical clearance, allowing most vessels to pass under the structure without disrupting traffic on the bridge,” an FDOT fact sheet states. “The project also includes improvements to (State Road) 64, including the addition of 10-foot sidewalks and 7-foot-wide bike lanes on both sides of the road.”
FDOT will construct the new bridge approximately 14 feet to the south of the existing bridge and provide 65 feet of vertical navigational clearance. FDOT anticipates the maximum height of the surface of the roadway will be approximately 74 feet. The bridge will consist of two 12-foot travel lanes (one eastbound and one westbound), 11-foot shoulders in each direction, and 10-foot sidewalks on each side of the bridge.
While design is underway, there has been no funding for construction. The project is expected to cost $76 million.
