A new bridge connecting the Northeast Park neighborhoods with Shore Acres in St. Petersburg is in the works.
- City of St. Pete to replace 40th Avenue bridge
- The 1960 bridge was closed for reparis in August
- City decided to replace bridge instead of repair
- Bridge may be relocated
The 40th Avenue Bridge was closed for a period of time in August for emergency repairs and has been re-configured with a reduced two-way traffic pattern ever since.
"When we did the further studies it was figured out that yeah, we could fix this bridge and it would still need to be fixed down the line,” Bill Logan, Communications Manager for St. Pete Public Works, said. “So the best course of action is going to be to replace it."
The bridge was built in 1960 and widened in 1991.
The city is moving forward with the selection of an engineering firm to develop a basis of design to determine the overall requirements for the bridge. That includes finding the best location for the bridge.
Resident Caitlin Knowles said she would like to see a new bridge in the same location along 40th Avenue.
"I like that before we could go on it because we ride our bikes a lot and we could cross it without backing up traffic and also it’s the perfect access to everything we go to, Publix, the bank and gas,” Knowles said.
Boaters in the area said they want to see a raised bridge so bigger boats can fit underneath.
The city said it will take into consideration all public imput.
"We are going to have a robust exchange, collaborative sort of dialogue with all of the neighbors here who are going to be affected and we want to make sure that as many stakeholders as possible are going to be part of the process," Logan said.
The funding for the work is provided by the Penny for Pinellas one-cent-sales tax, should voters approve it on November 7. The city is working with FDOT to assist in funding, too.
The bridge, with its current modified traffic pattern, will be in operation until the replacement bridge construction is completed.