Longboat Pass bridge: town prefers lower fixed or mid‑level bascule; FDOT also weighing repair option

Longboat Key staff and commissioners told the Manatee County Commission they prefer a replacement bridge with lower vertical clearance — the “low” or the mid‑level bascule options — and oppose a 78‑foot fixed high span they said is out of scale with the area.

Isaac Brownman summarized FDOT’s PD&E study options: a low‑level bascule (least vertical clearance), a mid‑level bascule (approximately 23 feet of vertical clearance), a high‑level fixed span (about 78 feet), and a newly considered repair‑in‑place option. Brownman said the town “believes that the fixed span bridge is too large and out of scale with the character of the surrounding area” and that “the town prefers the low option, but would accept the mid range option if needed.”

County and town officials also discussed the repair‑in‑place alternative. Town staff said FDOT suggested a repair could save money but that retrofit options to widen the existing narrow bicycle/pedestrian pathways appear limited. A county commissioner noted FDOT’s estimate that a repair might buy roughly 10 years, and town staff cautioned that short‑term repair could leave the town repairing while planning a new replacement.

Why it matters: the Longboat Pass Bridge links the barrier‑island community to the mainland; choices about vertical clearance affect boating openings, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and visual scale. Officials also noted boating traffic considerations: moving to about 23 feet reduces the frequency of drawbridge openings and would bring the corridor into the Great Loop boating route.

Next steps: staff said they would ask FDOT for more specifics about what a repair in place could allow (including handle for bike/ped widening) and continue stakeholder coordination. No formal county vote or commitment was recorded at the meeting.