Why do you have to close the bridge completely?
Why can't the bridge be closed only at night?

There is specific work that cannot be completed in a single overnight period and allow safe passage of vehicular traffic the following day. Other work requires that the drawspan be secured in the raised position for a period of time to provide access to the work areas. The FDOT with the Contractor developed three alternative traffic control scenarios that minimize the traffic impacts and the impacts to the community. These alternatives were presented to the public for their consideration and selection. The presented alternatives were as follows:

Alternative 1: Perform the work during a 45 consecutive day complete bridge closure. Traffic would be rerouted to the Cortez Bridge.

Alternative 2: Perform the work using lane closures with two-way traffic controlled by flagging operations for a total duration of 105 days including a 15 consecutive day complete bridge closure. Traffic during the bridge closure would be rerouted to the Cortez Bridge.

Alternative 3: Perform the work using lane closures with one-way eastbound traffic only for a total duration of 105 days including a 15 consecutive day bridge closure. Westbound traffic and traffic during the bridge closure would be rerouted to the Cortez Bridge.

Based on public feedback, there was overwhelming support from the community for Alternative 1.

The work will be performed with as many crews and within the shortest timeframe as practical. The work during the closure period will be performed by multiple subcontractors and multiple crews under the supervision of the prime contractor (Quinn Construction, Inc.). The work to be performed is specialized and involves a number of different subcontractors with different expertise including concrete repair specialists, structural steel repair specialists, painting specialists, hazardous-material removal specialists, machinery specialists and electrical specialists. Because there is limited available space on the bridge, it is not practical for all of these subcontractors to work simultaneously. In addition, much of the work must be performed in a progressive manner (i.e. certain work items must be completed before the next work item can be started.) In addition, some work requires that repair materials cure (i.e. set-up or gain a specified minimum strength) before subsequent work may commence.

The contract between the FDOT and Quinn Construction, Inc. has significant financial incentives and disincentives tied to the bridge closure and thus it is in the Contractor's best interest to schedule the work in a manner such that it is completed as quickly as possible.

The contract between the FDOT and Quinn Construction, Inc. includes both significant financial incentives for completing the work earlier than the 45 day closure period and significant financial disincentives for completing the work later than the 45 day closure period.

Law enforcement will be provided at critical intersections (e.g. Gulf Drive and Cortez Road, Cortez Road and 75th Street, and 75th Street and Manatee Avenue) during the bridge closure period as needed to improve traffic flow along the detour route.

Drawbridge opening schedules are established by Federal Law. In general, the laws have been written to give navigation traffic priority over vehicular traffic primarily because the waterways were in use well before the highways. The United States Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction over waterway use including drawbridge opening schedules, has considered the special circumstances regarding this project and has agreed to pursue temporary modifications to the drawbridge opening schedules for the Anna Maria Island Bridge, Cortez Bridge and Longboat Pass Bridge in order to minimize the impacts the drawbridge openings have on traffic during the bridge closure.

Traffic along Longboat Key will not be rerouted during the bridge closure period.

Other than the 45-day closure of the Anna Maria Island Bridge, there will not be any other daytime road closures during the project, although limited nighttime lane closures on the Anna Maria Island Bridge are also anticipated. During the bridge closure period, daytime traffic volumes along the detour route including Cortez Road, Gulf Drive and 75th Street will be heavier and there will likely be some traffic delays. The closure period will take place during September-November 2008 when traffic volumes and visits to the barrier island are lowest. Law enforcement will be provided as needed at the critical intersections during the bridge closure period to assist in moving traffic. The drawbridge opening schedules of the Longboat Pass Bridge and Cortez Bridge will be adjusted to reduce the impacts bridge openings have on traffic during the bridge closure period.

West Manatee Fire Rescue will make provisions to staff the Holmes Beach Fire Station with additional personnel and equipment during the bridge-closure period. Medical evacuation helicopters will also be on alert and made available during this period.

The Contractor will make provisions to permit the bridge to be reopened to at least one lane of traffic for emergency evacuation in the event of a hurricane where practical.

A temporary bridge (floating pontoon bridge or temporary Bailey bridge) was considered and was determined to be cost prohibitive. The cost of a 3100' long temporary bridge with a movable span would more than double the cost of the bridge rehabilitation project.

Water taxi ferries are not being implemented for this project primarily due to the limited traffic volume that this service can accommodate. In addition, the travel time for the ferry service would expect to exceed the travel times along the detour route.

Traffic delays during the bridge closure will expect to have some impact on the local businesses. In order to minimize these impacts, the bridge closure will take place in September-November 2008, when traffic volumes and island visits are lowest. Provisions are being made to minimize traffic impacts including additional law enforcement as needed to assist in moving traffic and changes to the drawbridge opening schedules.

Delivery trucks will not be restricted during the bridge closure period, however, they will experience some daytime traffic delays. Business owners are encouraged to coordinate and schedule deliveries during off-peak travel periods. Most of these businesses have been contacted and added to our database. If you have a list of others, please send to the PIO.

The FDOT has begun the lengthy process of replacing the existing bridge with a new bridge.

The process to replace a bridge includes required planning and environmental studies, procurement of funding for construction, procurement of additional right-of-way (if necessary), design of the project and preparation of construction plans and specifications, procurement of required permits, and construction of the bridge. This process usually takes 5 to 10 years to complete, but could be longer if there is significant controversy. (See the Islander article, "Bridge 101" on the Home page)

The FDOT is not considering traffic capacity improvements to the barrier islands including any new bridge crossings. The FDOT is only considering scenarios for maintaining or replacing existing facilities.

Both fixed span and bascule (drawbridge) type bridges will be evaluated and presented to the public for consideration during the planning stages of the project. The selection of bridge type will be based on many factors including initial and life-cycle costs, environmental and socio-economic impacts, safety, aesthetics, level of service, etc.

Although plans for a replacement bridge were developed in the early 1990's, these plans cannot be used today. Significant advancements and improvements in bridge design have been made since these plans were prepared and thus a new design based on current design standards and technology would be prepared for a replacement bridge.

All available funding sources for a new bridge including tolls will be studied during the planning stages of the project as appropriate.

Future use of the existing bridge as a fishing pier is possible. However, the FDOT would likely only consider this scenario if ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the bridge were turned over to Manatee County or barrier island local governments. It is important to recognize that the future maintenance costs of the existing bridge will be significant and that the facility has a limited remaining service life.

The Cortez Bridge underwent a major bridge rehabilitation project in 1996. Currently, there are no plans to perform another such project in the immediate future. However, similar to the Anna Maria Island Bridge, the Cortez Bridge requires ongoing maintenance and minor repairs to maintain the level of service and ensure continued safe and reliable operation.

Studies on the corrosive deterioration of the bridge concrete elements indicate that the existing bridge has no more than 10 to 15 years of remaining service life. It has been determined that it is not economically feasible to maintain the bridge beyond this period and that a new bridge should be in place within this timeframe. Based on the condition of the bridge, additional work is anticipated between now and the time the bridge is removed from service. However, the work has been planned such that all work activities that significantly impact traffic are performed now so that future traffic impacts are minimized.

In order to expedite the work, some of the work will need to take place at night. Given the lengthy construction schedule and turtle nesting season (May-October) it is not practical to avoid performing work during the turtle nesting season. Special provisions (e.g. shielding and/or different types of lighting) will be implemented to minimize the impact the construction lighting will have on the turtles.

Carbon fiber was considered in the development of the bridge rehabilitation design and was determined to be cost prohibitive for this project.

A reduction in the speed limit on the bridge will not significantly increase the service life of the bridge. Dynamic affects from vehicular traffic are not directly responsible for the deterioration. Much of the repairs are required to address deficiencies caused by corrosive deterioration due to the extremely aggressive saltwater environment. Other repairs address aging and worn components of the operating machinery.

 

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