SARASOTA, Fla. — Engineers and staff with the Florida Department of Transportation have unveiled their recommendations for improvements to the Little John Ringling Bridge in Sarasota.
The in-person open house was held at St. Armand's Key Lutheran Church on North Adams Drive.
A virtual and in-person hearing and testimony portion followed. Staff presented what a new bridge could potentially look like if the community decided to go that route.
Currently, the Little Ringling Bridge is just a narrow two-lane road that connects Bird Key to St. Armand's Key. The potential new designs discussed at Thursday's presentation include options to both widen and elevate the bridge.
"If there is anybody who's walking on the bridge, there's only room for one at a time to pass," Tony Britt, the vice commodore at Bird Key Yacht Club, said.
Britt has lived on Bird Key for the past four years. He and his wife ride their bicycles along the bridge regularly. He said it is a very popular axis, especially for pedestrians, folks exercising and families riding bicycles and the sidewalk gets quite cramped.
"You literally have to get off your bicycle. You stand aside and let that person, pass or run or whatever they're doing," Britt said.
The bridge located between Bird Key Drive and Sarasota Harbor West is along the existing Ringling Boulevard or State Road 789 and has no shoulders or designated bike lanes.
The bridge was also built decades ago in 1958. It's visibly worn out with age and its structural integrity is questionable.
"It's also antiquated and it doesn't have the appeal like in the beauty of the John Ringling Bridge, which I think adds a lot to Sarasota skyline," Britt added.
The bridge is also the only connection from downtown Sarasota to Bird Key, St. Armand's Key, Lido Key, and Long Boat Key.
Potential plans include options of a brand new single bridge or a set of twin bridges with up to 14 feet of shoulders for both bicycle and pedestrian lanes. These modernized options would come with overall improved aesthetics and functionality.
"Having an incline, which would allow motors to go underneath that bridge, and I think to make the whole thing far more efficient and far more valuable to the greater community," Britt said.
The cost implication for replacing the bridge would come up to between $63 million and $72 million.
The FDOT's presentation also includes a third, lower-cost option which proposes 5-year intervals for upgrades and maintenance of the existing bridge.
"It's an investment and I think that's the thing that people have to realize, it's investing 18 to 24 months but it's going to be here for another 50, 60 years, a beautiful addition to the community," Britt said.
See the full presentation here.