Should FDOT replace the Cortez Bridge?

The new Cortez Bridge could someday tower 65 feet over the waterway separating Anna Maria Island and the mainland, requiring no openings for boat traffic. That would cost about $79.8 million.

The proposed fixed-span bridge is one of three options for potentially replacing the aging drawbridge at the south end of Anna Maria. Florida Department of Transportation officials will discuss those alternatives, as well as the option of spending about $9.7 million to rehabilitate the bridge and extend its life through 2035, at a public meeting next month.

Other alternatives to a fixed-span bridge or repair include a 21-foot-high draw bridge, or a 35-foot-high draw bridge, both of which are slated to cost $102.6 million, according to estimates provided by FDOT spokesman Robin Stublen.

The public meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Holmes Beach. FDOT officials will collect public comments during the meeting, or in the mail through Aug. 19.

The state is in the middle of a $1.5 million project development and environment study to assess those alternatives that began in January 2013, according to the project website. FDOT concurrently undertook a $4 million repair project in 2014, to extend the bridge’s life through 2025.