West Winterberry Bridge Closed During Repairs

Repairs to the West Winterberry Bridge will begin on November 22nd and continue until December 22, 2024. The bridge will be closed November 22-25 and traffic will be detoured according to the attached Maintenance of Traffic Plan. From November 26 – December 22, work will be done under the bridge impacting one span at a time. Boaters will be able to use the other two spans under the bridge.

In 2020 The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) rated the West Winterberry Bridge “functionally obsolete” due to the narrow lanes and narrow sidewalks on the bridge. The bridge was not determined to be “structurally deficient” or unsafe. In 2022, the City began to receive estimates to rebuild the bridge to make it wider. At that time, the estimated replacement cost was $3.5 million.

In 2023, the bridge was inspected during an annual FDOT inspection and determined to need new post tensioning tendons. These tendons hold the bridge support slabs together. This work was done in March of 2023 and required a temporary closure of the bridge. In April 2024, the City received bids to replace the West Winterberry Bridge and the lowest bid was $8.7 million. As a result, City Council directed staff to forego the replacement and proceed with bridge rehabilitation, which would cost significantly less and result in the bridge lasting another ten years. In September 2024, the City Council approved a contract for $228,900 to conduct the rehabilitation.

Please follow detour signs and plan for additional travel time between November 22 – 25, 2024.