The Florida Department of Transportation team working on the Cortez Bridge project sent off a “dear property owner” letter the first week of the new year.
The DOT invited property owners in the Cortez Bridge project area to a Jan. 31 meeting on the state’s plans to replace the 17-foot clearance drawbridge spanning the Intracoastal Waterway between Cortez and Bradenton Beach with a fixed-span bridge in 2026.
Meanwhile, challengers to the 65-foot clearance bridge are in the federal appeals process.
A group of four complainants — Linda Molto of Cortez and former Manatee County Commissioners Joe McClash and Jane von Hahmann, also of Cortez, as well as former Cortez resident Joe Kane — advocate a 35-foot clearance drawbridge.
They first took their challenge to federal court in 2020, maintaining the DOT inappropriately used a categorical conclusion to bypass U.S. National Environmental Protection Act-mandated studies into the impacts of a high bridge during the bridge selection process.
The DOT in 2019 had concluded a study of replacement alternatives and selected the high bridge without conducting a more extensive analysis of environmental impacts.
In August 2022, Judge Anthony E. Porcelli of the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, went against the challengers and favored the DOT.
Porcelli said the DOT’s action “cannot be considered arbitrary or capricious.”
McClash, at the time, said the decision “details FDOT’s talking points” and he reasserted the challengers’ claim that the construction of a high bridge would destroy the character of the Cortez fishing village.
On Jan. 12, McClash confirmed they are in the appeals process, with their brief due in February.
The meeting the DOT called will “focus on bridge details and aesthetics, construction phasing and maintenance traffic.”
The project includes the bridge and roadway approaches from State Road 789/Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach to 123rd Street West, about 0.9 mile, in Cortez.
The design is expected to be completed by mid-2025, followed by construction in 2026, according to the DOT’s five-year work program, signed last summer by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The plan includes $76,998,790 for the construction of the megabridge.
The forum is set for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at Pfrangle Hall in Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 6101 Cortez Road, the same location where the DOT released the results of its project development and environment study for the bridge.
The DOT plans no formal presentation at the meeting but instead will display project materials, answer questions and take comments.
The DOT also will present the information and take comments on the web at www.swflroads.com/project/430204-2 Jan. 24-Feb. 10.
Property owners within 300 feet on either side of Cortez Road within the project limits — Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach to 123rd Street W. in Cortez — were sent notices.
In a newsletter, Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, District 3, said he’s hosting the meeting: “Please feel free to drop by any time between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Hope to see you there!”
For more information about the meeting, contact the design project manager, Ryan Weeks, at 863-519-2837 or ryan.weeks@dot.state.fl.us.
Regional planning organization drafts project priorities
By Lisa Neff
Islander Editor
The regional planning organization is transforming municipal wishes and county pitches into priorities.
The technical advisory committee of the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization met Jan. 9 in Sarasota, its first meeting of 2023. The MPO board will hold its first meeting of 2023 Jan. 23 in Venice.
At the Jan. 9 TAC meeting, MPO planning manager Ryan Brown briefed members on a draft list of project priorities, which could be considered for funding by the Florida Department of Transportation in the next five-year work program.
Florida law requires MPOs to develop a list — based on applications and new project requests from member cities and counties — that’s submitted to the DOT. This year the list is due March 15.
What’s in the MPO’s draft of priorities of interest on AMI?
- Replacement of the Anna Maria Island Bridge on Manatee Avenue spanning the Intracoastal Waterway between Holmes Beach and Perico Island;
- Replacement of the Cortez Bridge spanning the waterway between Bradenton Beach and Cortez on Cortez Road;
- Completion of the project development and environment study for the Longboat Pass Bridge on State Road 789 linking Bradenton Beach and Longboat Key;
- Multi-modal emphasis corridor planning for State Road 789 from the Longboat Pass Bridge to 27th Street North in Bradenton Beach;
- A PD&E for safety improvements on Gulf Drive from Holmes Boulevard to Palm/Marina drives;
- A PD&E study for a roundabout at Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach;
- A PD&E study for a roundabout at Manatee Avenue and Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach;
- A PD&E study on a roundabout at Gulf and East Bay Drives in Holmes Beach;
- A PD&E study on a “complete streets” project on Gulf Drive from 27th Street North to the Palm Drive intersection.
The draft contains many more projects in Sarasota and Manatee counties that could compete for ranking and funds.
Brown, presenting the list, asked people to review the document.
“This is not an action item,” he said, adding, “but it will be in March.”
About the MPO
The Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization is the regional transportation planning entity for Sarasota and Manatee counties.
MPOs are established by state and federal laws and through interlocal agreement to provide a process for local governments within the region to coordinate with the Florida Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.
The Sarasota/Manatee MPO is governed by a 17-member apportioned board comprised of elected officials representing both counties, nine cities and a representative of the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority.
The island cities are represented on the board by the chair of the Island Transportation Planning Organization, currently Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth.
Until they address the outdated traffic circle at Bridge streets this bridge is an enormous mistake.