Residents attend FDOT meeting regarding new proposed Cortez Bridge

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - Residents getting a firsthand look at the proposed new Cortez Bridge. FDOT holding a meeting at Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Bradenton on Tuesday night talking all about their plans and sharing renderings.

The new bridge would be built from 123rd Street West in Cortez to Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach. Plans are moving ahead to build a bridge that’s bigger and higher. There’s going to be no drawbridge with the new bridge. FDOT officials say the current bridge is past it’s life expectancy. They say the new bridge will improve safety and traffic.

“This new bridge that we’re proposing on the design phase at the moment, is going to be something good and we just want to really get some public comments, make sure we’re looking at the feedback and really evaluating what we’re moving forward with,” said Adam Rose, Spokesperson for FDOT.

“When I got elected, one of the things everybody was clamoring for was we needed infrastructure around relieving traffic and an 80-million dollar bridge is going to go a long way to relieving traffic,” said Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Chairman of the Manatee County Commission.

Many residents on hand for this meeting very excited about this project, while there are some who have concerns.

“I’m worried that we’re going to lose a lot of the old Florida charm that we have in historic Cortez Village,” said Susan Freihofer, a Cortez Village resident.

“It would be so much better if they just fixed it instead of building a whole new bridge,” said Jasimine Steger, a Cortez Village resident.

FDOT says work on a new bridge would get underway sometime in the middle of 2025.