Leaking water causes turn lanes on Lorraine Road to shut down for repairs

Water leak causes Lorraine Road backup

Two turn lanes on northbound Lorraine Road at its intersection with State Road 70 were closed Dec. 2 while a private construction crew worked to fill a void beneath the road.

A directional drill hit a Braden River Utilities reclaimed water line during construction in the area and the leaking water undermined the roadway at that intersection.

Ogden Clark, the strategic affairs manager for the Manatee County Public Works Department, said workers, under county supervision, had to fill the void with dirt and concrete, and then had to complete a compaction test, which had to be approved before traffic was allowed to resume. 

Both turn lanes were reopen by the end of the day.

Traffic along State Road 70 was not impacted by the construction, although there was a slight backup for northbound motorists on Lorraine Road.

Pro soccer team will train at Premier

The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau on Dec. 5 signed a deal with professional soccer team Hartford Athletic on a cross-promotional partnership.

The Connecticut-based Athletic play in the USL Championship League, a Division II league just under Major League Soccer (Division I).

The deal calls for the Premier Sports Campus to be the official spring training home of Hartford Atlantic. A Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau release stated that "Premier Sports Campus features 23 FIFA-regulation sized fields for play ranging from community level to national and international events, with a 3,000-plus seat stadium with scoreboards and a press box. 

 The Hartford Athletic will wear the bureau's logo on their jersey sleeves for both home and away games. The BACVB logo will be placed on the Athletic's marketing and advertising promotions throughout the Hartford area, and also will be featured on TV broadcasts of Athletic matches.

The bureau announced the partnership during a World Cup Watch Party during the USA-Iran game Nov. 29.

Initiating the deal was Breeze Airways' decision earlier this year to provide nonstop service between Hartford and the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

“We’re thrilled to announce this new partnership with the Hartford Athletic,” said Elliott Falcione, the executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, in a release. “We think the athletes are going to enjoy training in the Bradenton Area during a perfect time of year and we feel in our hearts that they will come back for many years to come. The fans are going to have new reasons to visit the Bradenton area and they’ll discover the quick, easy ways to get here with more travel options than ever."