Land deal made on Tara Bridge

Manatee County officials Tuesday approved a settlement agreement that paves the way for moving forward with construction of the Tara Bridge.

The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to approve a $1.7 million settlement agreement to purchase a 3.8 acre tract for the bridge, as well as 22 additional acres that would have been developed. The county is using money from another fund that must be repaid to pay for the deal, and also does not have funding in place for bridge construction.

A workshop on the Tara Bridge has been schedule for Nov. 15 and the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization is lated to vote Sept. 26 about putting the two-lane Tara Bridge project back on its 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan's list of unfunded needs.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].