FDOT hits pause on Coon Key Bridge construction

Beginning the week of June 19, both lanes of the westbound Coon Key Bridge will be open. The state agency plans to halt construction until after the Fourth of July.

By David Conway
| 1:30 p.m. June 17, 2016

In April, the Coon Key Bridge construction generated complaints from residents concerned about the timing of the work.

Sarasota
News

Drivers traveling from mainland Sarasota to the barrier islands via the John Ringling Causeway will soon get a respite from construction, as the Florida Department of Transportation plans to suspend work on the Coon Key Bridge next week.

Weather permitting, starting the week of July 19, FDOT will open both lanes of the Coon Key Bridge. Construction on the bridge is scheduled to resume Tuesday, July 5.

The break in construction is being timed to accommodate the Fourth of July holiday and the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival, which is taking place June 25 through July 4.

“We were hoping when we first started we would be at this position, where we could open it up during the regatta and then, immediately after the Fourth of July, close it and start on the other side of the (westbound) bridge,” FDOT spokesman Robin Stublen said.

The entirety of the Coon Key Bridge construction, which began in April, is scheduled for completion in mid-August.