Traffic alert: Water main repairs will impact traffic on the Manatee Avenue Bridge
Update: The water main repairs were completed July 6, but workers will be on and near the bridge over the next several weeks to permanently reposition the main.
Next week, repair work will begin on a water main that dropped into the Anna Maria Sound on Monday from hangers beneath the Manatee Avenue Bridge.
The Manatee County government said in a press release Friday that lane closures and periods of one-way traffic would be necessary from Monday, June 26 through Friday, June 30 to make repairs to the water main along the Manatee Avenue bridge to Anna Maria Island.
One lane of the bridge will be blocked to traffic as contracted workers begin their work Monday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be alternating one-way traffic across the drawbridge while the closure is in place. Although it will be limited while work is being done, pedestrian access to the southern sidewalk will still be available, the release said.
On Tuesday through Friday, crews will get an earlier start from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and close the same lane and sidewalk.
The county said the work cannot be done at night due to safety concerns and warned residents that more lane closures will be required in the coming weeks until repairs are complete.
Drivers should avoid the construction area and consider using the Cortez Bridge to reach Anna Maria Island. When traveling beneath the bridge, boaters should stay in the channel and keep clear of the warning buoys.
The county also said they do not expect people to be without water while the repairs are being made. According to the release, residents will be alerted if service will be interruptioned.
This story was originally published June 24, 2023 at 3:31 PM.
