Updated Feb. 8, 2021 at 12:15 p.m. – CORTEZ – A new, high-rise Cortez Bridge is coming and it may be sooner than you think.
Florida Department of Transportation officials confirmed that construction on the bridge is now expected to begin during the FDOT’s 2026 fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2025, and ends on June 30, 2026.
The existing drawbridge, built in 1956, will be replaced by a fixed-span bridge that provides 65 feet of vertical clearance below it. According to FDOT, the current drawbridge provides 17.5 feet of vertical clearance when the bridge is down.
FDOT announced its plans in 2018 to build a fixed-span bridge instead of rehabbing the existing bridge or building a new drawbridge, which would provide 35 feet of vertical clearance when the bridge is down.
During a Bradenton Beach Commission meeting on Jan. 21, Mayor John Chappie said he had learned the Cortez Bridge replacement project was now included in FDOT’s five-year work program.
“That kind of surprised me. I didn’t think it would happen for another 10 years,” Chappie said.
When contacted by email last week, FDOT Communications Specialist Brian Rick said the bridge construction project will be awarded to a contractor at some point during the second half of 2025, with construction of a new bridge to begin several months later. Rick said construction will start during FDOT’s 2026 fiscal year and funding for the state project is expected to be in place at that time.
He noted the anticipated bridge replacement project cost originally was $66.5 million.
“As a caveat, $66.5 million is the present-day cost, but with inflation, it will be $76 million by 2026,” Rick said in an email.
Rick said FDOT plans to submit its Phase II bridge construction design plans sometime around August.
The bridge replacement timetable was referenced in the presentation that L.K. Nandam, district secretary for District One of the Florida Department of Transportation, provided during the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s quarterly State of Community series event on Jan. 27.
Nandam’s virtual presentation also said the Cortez Bridge project would start during FDOT’s 2026 fiscal year. His presentation noted that the Anna Maria Bridge on Manatee Avenue, which is also a drawbridge, is currently slated for replacement between fiscal years 2027 and 2032.
Bridge aesthetics
The Cortez Bridge replacement project was discussed at the FDOT Bridge Aesthetics Committee’s virtual meeting on Jan. 20.
According to a Jan. 28 committee meeting summary prepared by Laura Turner, of Laura Turner Planning Services, “The Florida Department of Transportation has begun design plans for the Cortez Road bridge replacement.”
The Bridge Aesthetics Committee allows local citizens to participate in the design process.
Cortez resident and Bradenton Beach property owner Connie Morrow, Jeff Vey, of the Bridgeport condominiums in Bradenton Beach, and Ann Marie Nicholas, owner of the Room with a Hue retail business in Bradenton Beach, participated in the Jan. 20 committee meeting.
They were joined by Turner, FDOT Transportation Manager Roxann Lake, FDOT staff member Kaylene Johnson, consulting project manager Doug Hershey, and Adrian Moon from the WSP transportation and infrastructure services firm.
Chappie is a committee member but he was unable to attend the recent meeting, as were fellow members Joe Rodgers, Karen Bell, Mike Bazzy and Joe Adoma.
The design and aesthetics of the bridge pillars were discussed during the recent committee meeting. Pillar design options range from two or three thin concrete pillars with simple design lines to thicker pillars that feature brick surfaces and double arches. The meeting summary does not indicate that any final decision was made regarding pillar design.
Continued opposition
FDOT is moving forward with its bridge replacement plans despite continued public opposition and a 2019 legal challenge by former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash, former Manatee County Commissioner and Cortez resident Jane von Hahmann, Cortez residents Linda Molto and Joe Kane, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, the Cortez Historical Society and the ManaSota-88 organization.
In that 2019 challenge, the fixed-span opponents filed a petition that named FDOT as the respondent. The petition stated that all of the petitioners would have their substantial interests negatively affected by replacing the existing drawbridge with a higher, fixed-span bridge.
The petition claimed that the tall bridge would negatively impact the maritime culture and fishing industry in the historic village of Cortez. It also stated a fixed-span bridge would impact environmental, aesthetic, cultural and natural resources and the use of the navigational waters near the Cortez Bridge for vessels whose masts or superstructures exceed 60 feet.
The petitioners asserted the proposed replacement bridge would negatively impact the quality of life, environment, financial well-being, mobility and preservation of Cortez. They also said a fixed-span bridge would create dangerous intersections at offsetting streets and pedestrian crossing areas, while also increasing noise, dividing the community with a wall-like structure and changing the overall aesthetics of Cortez.
These and other opponents of the 65-foot vertical clearance bridge have repeatedly expressed support for a new drawbridge that offers 35 feet of vertical clearance.
FDOT dismisses objections
On April 23, 2018, FDOT issued a press release regarding its bridge design decision.
“A fixed bridge is resoundingly the best financial investment for taxpayers. The initial construction cost, including design and construction, saves approximately $23.9 million compared to a new mid-level drawbridge. Over the 75-year life of the bridge, the fixed bridge also saves approximately $11.2 million in operating and maintenance costs compared to the drawbridge.
“The new bridge will be designed and constructed to modern standards that will improve the safety of the bridge and will include enhanced pedestrian and bicycle features, including two 10-foot sidewalks separated from the roadway by a traffic barrier which will enhance safety and overall recreational opportunities,” according to the press release.
In 2018 FDOT released a series of renderings that illustrated what the new bridge and bridge approach areas were expected to look like. One rendering showed an auxiliary ramp coming off of Cortez Road that would provide access to the businesses and residences on and around 127th Street West, including Tide Tables, Annie’s Back & Tackle, the Seafood Shack and more.
