The Park Boulevard bridge will be closed for the next 30 days for repairs to the draw bridge.
Work started today on the bridge, which connects Seminole to Indian Shores. The span will be locked in the upright position for at least a month as crews replace parts.
Pinellas County officials said the 35-year-old bridge has problems with the gears that lower and raise the bridge.
"We've had some issues with the mechanism in the past," said Thomas Menke, Pinellas County engineer. "We've kind of went through some calculations and determined that the mechanism is a little bit small for today's standards."
Gearing the bridge up to today's standards means temporarily shutting the bridge down to tens of thousands of drivers and cyclists who use this bridge everyday.
Detours to the north and south will add an extra 15 minutes or so to drivers on their commutes. However, officials say emergency situations will not be impacted.
"The bridge, in the event of a major storm - not just a local rain shower, but a major storm - will be able to be brought down into an open position to help facilitate with evacuations," said Seminole Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Terry Tokarz.
Extra emergency vehicles also will be stationed in the area during the repairs. And to help traffic during rush hour, area detour bridges (Indian Rocks Beach bridge and the Tom Stuart Causeway) will not be raised for marine traffic between 6 and 9 a.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
The Penny for Pinellas tax will pay for the $800,000 project.