Project Improvements

This project involves replacing the existing bascule Anna Maria Island Bridge with a high-level fixed bridge. FDOT will construct the new bridge approximately 14 feet to the south of the existing bridge and provide 65 feet of vertical navigational clearance. FDOT anticipates the maximum height of the surface of the roadway will be approximately 74 feet. The bridge will consist of two 12-foot travel lanes (one eastbound and one westbound), 11-foot shoulders in each direction, and 10-foot sidewalks on each side of the bridge. Other improvements include pedestrian and bicyclist paths under each end of the bridge, and lighting. Bicyclists will be able to use the shoulders as well as the planned 10-foot sidewalks. The new bridge will be approximately 3,150 feet long. 

Aesthetics

As part of this project, FDOT established a bridge aesthetics committee consisting of representatives from the surrounding communities. This committee evaluated architectural and aesthetic elements in an effort to design a bridge that will fit in harmony with the surrounding environment and embody the character of the community both now and in the future. The aesthetics committee is consensus based and met at various times throughout the design process.

Project History

From 2008 to 2015, FDOT conducted a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study for SR 64 from SR 789 (East Bay Drive) to Perico Bay Boulevard. On January 15, 2016, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) granted approval (Location and Design Concept Acceptance) of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), for the proposed replacement of the Anna Maria Island Bridge, completing the PD&E phase of the project. The next project phase, design, began in January 2016 to finalize project details and produce a final set of construction documents.