Longboat Pass bridge work means schedule changes for boaters

Work on the Longboat Pass Bridge has led to changes in water and roadway traffic.

Last week, Longboat Key officials said the Florida Department of Transportation has informed them of changes in the schedule to drawbridge opening at Longboat Pass, as maintenance work continues on the span. 

The Longboat Pass Bridge will be raised on demand during 30-minute windows at 10 a.m., 2 p.m.,  and 6 p.m. for the duration of the renovation project. If no boat traffic requests bridge openings, the span will remain down.

Among other updates to bridge traffic:

• If emergency vehicles approach the bridge while drawbridge is up, the construction team/tender will work to lower the bridge to let the emergency vehicle through.
• Single lane closures will continue Sunday through Thursday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• No single lane closures on Friday night or Saturday night
• The state project rehabbing the bridge is trying to limit closures.

“Typically, if you're a boater during the day and you want to go out to the Gulf or come back in, you'll notify them and then they'll open the bridge and lower it,” Town Manager Tom Harmer said. “Now they've said during this construction phase they're in right now they're going to limit bridge openings to 10 a.m. 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.”

If boaters need the bridge open for clearance, they need to come and go between the aforementioned times, otherwise the bridge won’t be opening because of ongoing work. This information only pertains to bigger boats, like large sailboats or yachts, that need the bridge open to go underneath it.

Brian Rick of FDOT wrote in an email that work on the bridge hasn’t exactly reached a critical juncture.

“The Contractor is working on mechanical, electrical components, steel coatings, scour protection, concrete cement rip rap, spall repairs, eastside sidewalk demolition and replacement and pile jackets,” he wrote.