Project History

The Anna Maria Island Bridge was built in 1957 and is 50 years old. It is 3122 feet long and has 63 Spans. It is a double-leaf Trunnion Bascule Main Span which means it raises for boat traffic. It is a two-lane 24-foot wide roadway and has two 5-foot sidewalks. The average daily traffic is 17,100 with 5.8 percent trucks. The posted speed is 50 mph. There are no legal-load restrictions and overload permits are allowed with special-crossing requirements. In April 2003, it was recommended after a comprehensive structural evaluation in May 2001 to repair the existing bridge without widening. In May 2003, pile jackets were replaced on 19 bridge pilings. The cost of this work was $231,300. In June 2007, the FDOT awarded the contract to complete major rehabilitation of the bridge as recommended in the feasibility study. This contract was awarded to Quinn Construction for $9.14 million and will extend the life of the bridge for 10-15 years.

This work will help prevent unexpected failures and emergency repairs which would affect the operational reliability of the bridge and significantly impact vehicular traffic. This rehabilitation work will prevent the FDOT from having to post the bridge with additional weight restrictions. Weight restrictions would create unexpected issues for businesses, residents, visitors, and service providers such as fire rescue, solid waste, etc., to the barrier island.