Traffic resumes after boat collision with Longboat bridge

On Friday, April 17, a sailboat struck a piling on the Longboat Pass Bridge, causing major traffic backups for more than an hour.

Longboat Key Fire Rescue and Police Department units both responded to the scene. Police marine units arrived at 9:24 a.m., a police report states.

Photos showed a sailboat named Hula Girl and lifeboat named Hula Doll lodged against support pilings of the bridge with the mast hitting the deck of the Longboat Pass bascule bridge.

The police report says the boat had lost steering and was pinned to the bridge by the strong tidal current.

U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boats also responded to the scene. When Coast Guard boats attempted to tow the boat away, the mast, still pinned on the bridge, broke off.

“As a result, the vessel shifted position abruptly, increasing the risk to passengers and responding personnel,” the LKPD police report describes. “Due to the unstable conditions, this officer maneuvered vessel alongside and safely removed all passengers, as well as one Coast Guard crew member, without incident or injury.”

By about 10:45 a.m., the town reported traffic was moving again in both directions on the north end of the island.

The bridge, which the Florida Department of Transportation is considering replacing, was built in 1957. A 78-foot-clearance high-span fixed bridge is FDOT’s preferred alternative to replace the bridge at an estimated cost of $137.8 million. 

The drawbridge was undamaged, the police report states.

This article was updated with additional information on Tuesday, April 21.