The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One is completing design plans for the future Cortez Bridge on State Road (SR) 684 in Manatee County, Florida. The project includes the bridge and roadway approaches from SR 789 (Gulf Drive) to 123rd Street West, a distance of about 0.9 mile.

Bridge Aesthetics Committee (BAC)

The Florida Department of Transportation has formed a Bridge Aesthetics Committee (BAC) consisting of community representatives from Cortez and Bradenton Beach to provide input on the bridge aesthetics.

BAC Members include:

Joe Adorna (Cortez Park), Mike Bazzy (Bradenton Beach Marina), Karen Bell (Tide Tables), Mayor John Chappie (Bradenton Beach), David Galuska, Connie Morrow (Runaway Bay & Mariners Cove), Ann Marie Nichols (Room with a Hue), Joe Rogers (Seafood Shack), Jeff Vey (Bridgeport Condos), Gloria Weir (Cortez Park), and Bobby Woodsen (Tide Tables).

BAC Meetings and Additional Small Group Meetings during Design: August 12, 2020; January 6, 2021; January 20, 2021; February 10, 2021; March 1, 2021; March 10, 2021; April 1, 2021; April 22, 2021; May 27, 2021; November 9, 2021. Future meetings will be added as information becomes available.

To date, the BAC has determined the following (may be altered in final design)

• Preference is for aesthetically enhanced multi-column pier with a waterline footing. The exterior face of the column would be in line with the exterior face of the bridge deck. Cheekwalls would extend from the top of the pier to the underside of the deck at all pier locations.
• Preference is for four overlooks, located on the north and south side of the bridge at the two piers on either side of the main channel.
• Preference for substructure lighting on the exterior faces of the pier columns.
• A custom “wave” infill pattern is suggested for the bridge pedestrian railings.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is offering two ways to participate in the public meeting for the Cortez Road bridge replacement design project.

·         The live in-person meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at Kirkwood Presbyterian Church (Pfrangle Hall) located at 6101 Cortez Road, Bradenton, FL 34210. The in-person meeting will be an open house, so you may drop by any time between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to review project materials at your own pace and to ask project team questions. There will be no formal presentation.

·        

The on-line meeting is being held on this website from Tuesday, January 24, 2023 through February 10, 2023. The following materials files are provided below for review: project presentation (video and slides), display boards, bridge 3D animation, and handouts (comment form and newsletter). You may access these files below by clicking on the file names.

Presentation Video
Presentation Slides
Roll Plot Board
Aesthetics Recommendations Board
Bridge at Night Board
Bridge Construction Phasing Board
Title VI Board
3D Animation
Comment Form
Newsletter

The same information will be presented at both the live in-person meeting and on-line meeting (this website) so attending both is not needed.

You may submit your comments by completing the comment form and emailing it to Ryan Weeks, the FDOT project manager, at Ryan.Weeks@dot.state.fl.us or by mailing it to him at Florida Department of Transportation, District One, P.O. Box 1249, Bartow, Florida 33831-1249. You may also submit comments while on this website by clicking the “send a comment or ask a question about this project” tab and then type in your comments or questions. While comments about the project are accepted at any time, written comments submitted by February 10, 2023, will be included in the meeting summary. All comments matter, regardless of submittal format.

FDOT solicits public participation without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. People who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Cynthia Sykes, District One Title VI Coordinator, at (863) 519‐2287, or email at cynthia.sykes@dot.state.fl.us at least seven days prior to the public information meeting.

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by FDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated May 26, 2022, and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT.