The bridge that connects Bradenton to Anna Maria Island will be getting a facelift. Bay News 9 reports "It's going to be a long and arduous inconvenience, particularly for those going back and forth to work on the mainland, Anna Maria Island resident Bob Gottschalk said."
"Gottschalk said the year-long construction project is a necessary evil considering the bridge's condition."
"The project calls for a 75-day construction period when the bridge is closed entirely.
I hope they begin work on it soon. Snow birds will be here again at the end of the year/beginning of next year, and traffic is bad enough when the bridge is open. I couldn't imagine what kind of nightmare it would be to have the bridge closed during "the season." Since the only other way onto the island from Bradenton is from Cortez Rd, it's going to be an inconvenience for sure. I just hope they get it timed out correctly, so the businesses on the island don't lose any business if the bridge is closed or traffic is backed up due to the construction and the tourists decide it's too much of a pain to go back and forth to the island from the mainland and head further south to Sarasota.
I agree work needs to be done from time to time and it's a pain, and we have to deal with it. But why didn't they start this process last month when nearly all the tourists/snowbirds were already gone? This way they could get a jump start and get the majority of it done before the end of the year. Who knows?
