Bridge openings coordinated during AMI bridge closure
by Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter
The U.S. Coast Guard will alter the times when the Cortez Bridge will be raised and lowered during the 45-day closure period of the Anna Maria Island Bridge to ensure traffic on the Cortez route moves as smoothly as possible and that emergency vehicles will have 24-hour access to the Island.
Speaking at the March 17 meeting of the Island Transportation Planning Organization, U.S. Coast Guard bridge specialist Michael Lieberum said the times were arrived at after considerable study of boat traffic between the two bridges and the Florida Department of Transportation’s study of vehicular traffic on Cortez Road.
He noted that for the 45-day period, Cortez Road and the Cortez Bridge will be the only direct access from the mainland to the Island. Emergency personnel will have direct access to the bridgetender to halt boat traffic and ensure the bascule stays down in the event emergency vehicles need to get on or off the Island.
Don Cashdollar of the DOT said the department plans to alter the timing of the traffic lights at the major intersections leading to the Cortez Bridge, specifically the Cortez Road-75th Street intersection and the 75th Street-Manatee Avenue intersection.
But even with altering the timing of the lights, allowing dual left-turn lanes from Manatee Avenue onto 75th Street, and planning the Anna Maria Island Bridge closure between Sept. 29 and Nov. 13, one of the slowest periods in vehicular traffic to the Island, “there will be delays,” he said.
“But we think we can keep traffic moving,” Cashdollar added, noting the DOT will monitor traffic flow “on a daily basis and can make changes on the fly.”
The DOT also will post a sign on northbound Gulf Drive approaching Manatee Avenue to advise motorists of the upcoming closure of the AMI bridge. The sign will count down the days remaining to give motorists ample warning of the impending closure, he said.
ITPO members also received an update from the DOT’s Chris Piazza on the status of the project development and environmental study for a replacement for the present AMI Bridge.
Piazza said the DOT has sent more than 5,500 notices to Islanders and interested persons asking for input on what type of bridge they prefer, be it high rise, two lanes, four lanes, or similar to the current bridge. Additionally, the DOT will hold a meeting from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, at St. Bernards Catholic Church in Holmes Beach to get a “census” of what Islanders want as a replacement. The DOT will ask Islanders to “vote” their preference on “how they want a new bridge to look,” he said.
“We are not going to come out here to say what it’s going to be, we want to get the feel of the community on what they want to see,” Piazza emphasized.
That brought a congratulatory response from Anna Maria Mayor Fran Barford, noting that the DOT’s effort for public input on a new facility was a far cry from its position in the 1990s on a new bridge.
DOT public relations representative Audrey Clarke said the next meeting to update progress of the ongoing $9.1 million renovation project and the planned closure of the AMI Bridge is scheduled for June 5 at St. Bernard. She invited residents, schools, business people and businesses that deliver to the Island to attend the meeting to provide input and learn the latest news.
For the most up-to-date information on the project, members of the public can go on the Internet to www.amibridgerehab.com. People without Internet access can call 941-792-0369 to obtain project information.
Bridge schedule changes announced
U.S. Coast Guard bridge specialist Michael Lieberum told the Island Transportation and Planning Organization that as of March 15, the Anna Maria Island Bridge had gone to a “single-leaf” opening between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. until the bridge closes to vehicular traffic in September for 45 days.
During the 45-day closure period, a single-leaf of the bridge will be raised as needed for boat traffic at the top of the hour except between:
- 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. the bridge will open for navigation for all vessels.
The Cortez Bridge will be raised once an hour at the bottom of the hour for boat traffic except during the following periods:
- 5:35 a.m. to 9:25 a.m.
- 1:35 p.m. to 4:25 p.m.
- 8 p.m. to 4:25 a.m.
The bridge will be open for navigation between 4:25 a.m. and 5:35 a.m.
All south-bound vessels will be allowed to clear the Cortez Bridge before any shutdown period begins to ensure no vessel is trapped between the two bridges, Lierberum said.The time frames are “adequate” enough for even sailboats to clear, he added.
The bridgetenders for both bridges will coordinate when vessels pass through the draw, and the Coast Guard station in Cortez will monitor the situation for safe passage of all vessels during the 45-day closure of the Anna Maria Island Bridge. |
