The Florida Department of Transportation wants community feedback on some new options for replacing the Cortez Bridge.
The DOT hosted a public meeting Aug. 8 at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Holmes Beach, drawing attendance from more than 300 people over a three-hour span. The purpose of the meeting was to again share information with the community on options for a replacement for the 59 year-old bridge.
The new options offered at the Aug. 8 meeting included a low-level bascule bridge with a 21-foot navigational clearance and a mid-level drawbridge with a 35-foot navigational clearance.
The options also included the previously presented plan for a fixed-span bridge with a 65-foot navigational clearance.
All of the replacement options offer two 12-foot traffic lanes with 7-foot bicycle lanes, 10-foot shoulders and 10-foot sidewalks on each side.
Another option being studied is repairing the current bridge, which would extend its life by 10 years until 2035, when it would have to be replaced.
Attendees were invited to watch a short video on the replacement options and view additional information on large, mounted displays before expressing their opinions on comment sheets.
“The department is definitely listening,” said Bryan Williams, representing a consulting firm to the DOT. Williams said the DOT mailed more than 8,000 surveys hoping to receive feedback from the community on the new bridge options. Bryan previously worked for the DOT on the project when the first round of replacement talks were held in the early 1990s.
“It’s a good turnout,” he said of the Aug. 8 meeting. “I hope we get a good response.”
People varied in their preferences.
“It should be a fixed-span,” said Chief Tom Sousa of West Manatee Fire Rescue. “It’s the only way to alleviate traffic.”
Holmes Beach Commissioner Carol Soustek, wearing a “Repair it!” sticker, had a different opinion. She hopes the repair alternative will be selected.
“That’s the sensible solution,” Soustek said. “The DOT is not thinking about how what they’re doing impacts lives.”
Cortez resident Joe Kane echoed Soustek’s opinion. “They should repair it,” he said. “But they won’t do it.”
Former Bradenton Beach Mayor Jack Clarke said he supports the 35-foot mid-level bridge. “I think that’s what they’ll go with,” he said.
The Aug. 8 meeting marked the second time in recent years the DOT has held meetings on the options for the Cortez Bridge. The first meeting was held Aug. 28, 2014. The project, currently in the planning, development and engineering stage, is unfunded through the design phase, which is expected to begin in 2018.
“Once the plans are done, it’s easier to move forward quickly once funding becomes available,” said Tony Sherrard, project manager for the Cortez Bridge.
Information and online comment forms can be found at www.cortezbridge.com. Comments also can be sent by email to antone.sherrard@dot.state.fl.us.
Comment sheets must be returned by Aug. 19.
A public hearing to announce the DOT’s preferred replacement option and a comparison with the repair alternative is planned to take place in early 2017.