The Florida Department of Transportation continues to work on the design for a high, fixed-span bridge connecting Cortez and Bradenton Beach.
The project, estimated to cost $77 million, will replace the drawbridge that was built in 1956.
“We are still working on the design, and we are targeting a fiscal year 2026 letting,” according to a June 27 email from DOT public information officer Jason Heironimus,
The DOT said construction could commence as early as 2026, pending necessary approvals of an environmental resource permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District and others from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which deals with coastal construction control lines and pollutant discharge elimination.
The Swiftmud permit is needed to address potential impacts on wetlands, surface water flows and water quality during construction activities. As of June 27, the DOT had yet to submit a permit application to Swiftmud.
The new bridge will accommodate larger vessels. Unlike the current 22-foot clearance drawbridge, the new structure would have a 65-foot fixed span and eliminate the need for movable parts, thereby reducing maintenance costs over time.
The DOT maintains the larger bridge will ease traffic congestion for motorists and eliminate wait times for boaters.
However, those in opposition to the high span maintain a midlevel drawbridge is appropriate and would not require retaining walls that could block businesses and homes near the bridge ramp in Cortez.
Earlier this year, a legal challenge objecting to the bridge’s 65-foot height was dismissed following a federal appeal review, clearing a legal hurdle for the DOT on its way to construction.
Meanwhile, Manatee County is moving forward with plans to relocate a 24-inch potable water main located on the bay bottom under the Cortez Bridge in expectation of the bridge replacement.
County public information officer Bill Logan, in a June 27 email to The Islander, said a contract for the $8.8 million project was awarded to DBE Utility Services of Loxahatchee and a preconstruction conference is scheduled for July 10.
Logan said dates for the start of construction will be discussed during the conference.
For more information on the Cortez Bridge project, go online to cortezbridge.com or Patrick Bateman, project manager, can be reached at patrick.bateman@dot.state.fl.us or 863-519-2792.