People gathered at Christ Church of Longboat Key March 14 for a Florida Department of Transportation workshop on options for traversing Longboat Pass.
The meeting provided a platform for people to voice their opinions and concerns about three proposed replacement alternatives and a “no build” option for the Longboat Pass Bridge on State Road 789.
DOT program managers, consultants and elected officials engaged with people in the open forum.
The bridge, built in 1957 and repaired in 2005 and 2020, faces functional obsolescence and needs either replacement or rehab, according to the DOT.
The state proposes three new options for the 17-foot clearance bridge: a 23-foot drawbridge, a 35-foot drawbridge and a 78-foot-high fixed bridge.
All the new bridge designs have the same dimensions for travel lanes, shoulders and shared-use pathways that nearly double the bridge’s width from 37 feet, 5 inches to 76 feet, 8 inches.
Also in the review is a “no build” option.
However, many meeting attendees expressed the need for a new bridge.
Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier spoke to The Islander during the meeting: “Our local residents are not bashful about letting us know how they feel about things. We’ve got a good turnout here. People are active and interested.”
“It’s pretty clear that the bridge is about to outlive its lifespan,” Schneier added. “When I was first looking at the alternatives I gravitated to a new drawbridge.”
He said that due to the bridge’s role as an access to the Gulf of Mexico, a fixed span must be a 78-foot-high bridge.
Village resident Priscilla Von Ahnen quipped, “I am kind of anti-progress.” She was initially against a new bridge but said viewing the renderings helped to change her mind.
“The big one still looks too big, but I might go with the 36-foot version,” she said.
Longboat Commissioner BJ Bishop, however, is ready to go high.
“If we are going to do this, we might as well go with the third (alternative), the 78-foot bridge,” Bishop said.
The high fixed-bridge design would eliminate the need for a drawbridge and its maintenance.
Consultant Bryan Brantley said construction for a new bridge would be to the west of the existing bridge, so traffic would continue to flow.
However, a new bridge would pass over wetlands at Beer Can Island lagoon, requiring mangrove mitigation.
Planner Abra Horne and project manager Patrick Bateman said the DOT five-year work program provides funding for the project development and environment study and design phases, but not construction.
The DOT will collect public comments until March 25 and present its preferred option next spring.
For more information, contact Patrick Bateman at 863-519-2792 or email patrick.bateman@dot.state.fl.us.