A public meeting about the project development and environment study on the future of the Cortez Bridge will be 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach.
The Florida Department of Transportation scheduled the open house, where people can ask questions and provide comments to DOT representatives in a one-on-one setting.
The DOT plans to show a video exploring alternatives for the bridge on State Road 684/Cortez Road. The Cortez Bridge connects Anna Maria Island to the mainland, spanning Sarasota Bay from Cortez on the east side to Bradenton Beach on the west side.
The DOT said the study limits are Cortez Road from State Road 789/Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach to 123rd Street West in Cortez, a distance of about a mile.
In the engineering and environment study, the DOT is analyzing:
• A no-build option of continued repair of the existing bridge.
• Replacement with a 21-foot vertical clearance drawbridge.
• Replacement with a 35-foot vertical clearance drawbridge.
Replacement with a high-level fixed bridge within the existing corridor.
The DOT, in a bulletin, said it would send noticesof the forum to property owners within 300 feet of either side of SR 684 in the study limits, as well as people living or owning property west of 115th Street West on the mainland approach to the bridge and everyone who lives or owns property on Anna Maria Island and north Longboat Key.
The DOT “encourages all interested people to attend and express their views regarding the project and information presented,” the bulletin said.
For more information about the study, go online to www.cortezbridge.com.