A decision looms for the Longboat Pass Bridge's replacement

Longboat Key only has two entrances by road — and both are drawbridges. The future of one is up for debate. 

To the north, the Longboat Pass Bridge has been determined “functionally obsolete” by the Florida Department of Transportation. Built in 1957, the bridge has slim pedestrian lanes and aging materials. 

FDOT held public workshops in March to present three options to rebuild the bridge. Debate among commissioners, community members and the FDOT ensued in the following months. 

The three options included two bascule, or drawbridge, options — a low-level bascule at 23 feet high and a mid-level bascule at 36 feet high. The third option was a high fixed-span bridge, which was proposed as 78 feet high. This would be a bridge tied for the fifth-tallest bridge in Florida. 

The lowest build alternative is expected to cost between $147 million and $158 million. When building a little higher with the mid-level bridge, the cost would be around $153 million to $165 million. Finally, the fixed-span alternative would be the cheapest option at around $93.3 million, since it eliminates the drawbridge feature. 

FDOT could also choose to make repairs to the existing bridge, which happened in 2005 and 2020. FDOT covers the cost, in either building or rehabbing, leading Longboaters to focus on the height options. 

Residents from the Northgate condominium complex to the west of where the new bridge would be built raised concerns about the fact that any new bridge alternatives would land about 36.5 feet away from the condos.

Another factor made clear by residents and town commissioners: The high fixed-span bridge would not fit the community character of Longboat Key. 

Further conversations with FDOT and community groups led the Longboat Key town commission to recommend the mid-level bridge, and FDOT worked with the town to find ways to slightly cut the width of the bridge to give the Northgate complex more space. As of early October, the project is under study; a decision is expected in late 2025.

The Observer analyzed eight other bridges in the Sarasota-Manatee area as a comparison to the three options for Longboat.

Blackburn Point Swing Bridge

Image courtesy of Marinas.com

Year constructed: Built in 1925, rehabbed in 1995
Location: Blackburn Point Road over the Intracoastal Waterway
Height/vertical clearance: 9 feet
Horizontal clearance: 51 feet
Length: 142 feet
Span: 142 feet
Lanes: 1
Fun fact: Was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2001. 

Circus Bridge Venice

Image courtesy of Marinas.com

Year constructed: 2005 (bridge there before was named the South Bridge)
Location: U.S. 41 and the Intracoastal Waterway
Height/vertical clearance: 25 feet
Length: 90 feet
Span: 1,169 feet
Lanes: 4
Fun fact: Bridge was chosen by the Florida Department of Transportation for the 2005 Best in Construction of Major Bridge Award, according to Southland Holdings, the parent company of Johnson Bros., which built it.

Cortez Bridge

Year constructed: 1956
Location: From Cortez in Manatee County to Bradenton Beach
Height/vertical clearance: 17.5 feet
Length: 2,616 feet
Span: 133 feet
Lanes: 2
Fun fact: FDOT has approved construction of a replacement bridge. 

New Pass Bridge

Year constructed: Originally built in 1929, last reconstructed in 1986
Location: From south Longboat Key to Lido Shores
Height/Vertical clearance: 23 feet
Length: 964 feet
Span: 117 feet
Lanes: 2
Fun fact: An unofficial history of the area around the bridge has it that the New Pass was discovered by Sarasota pioneer Willam Whitaker, who, after a hurricane in 1848 saw a spot cut out and is believed to have said, “look, there’s a new pass,” according to the New Pass Grill & Bait Shop.

Siesta Drive Bridge

Year constructed: 1972
Location: From north Siesta Key to Sarasota
Height/vertical clearance: 21 feet
Length: 1,278 feet
Span: 139 feet
Lanes: 2
Fun fact: The first bridge to be built in that area, connecting the Key to the mainland, was constructed in 1917, according to Sarasota History Alive. 

Stickney Point Bridge

Year constructed: 1968
Location: From south Siesta Key to Sarasota (Gulf Gate area)
Height/vertical clearance: 18 feet
Length: 567.6 feet
Span: 116.5 feet (maximum span)
Lanes: 4
Fun fact: Underwent an improvement project earlier this year that, according to the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, is designed to “extend the bridge’s service life and operational reliability.” 

Venice Avenue Bridge

Image courtesy of Marinas.com

Year constructed: Originally built 1966, reconstructed 2004
Location: Venice Avenue over Intracoastal Waterway
Height/vertical clearance: 30 feet
Horizontal clearance: 90 feet
Length: 1,169 feet
Span: 145 feet
Lanes: 2
Fun fact: 13,200 vehicles travel the bridge a day, with 4% truck traffic.

John Ringling Causeway

Year constructed: Current iteration of bridge opened in 2003; other versions, including a drawbridge, opened in 1926 and 1958
Location: Goes over Sarasota Bay and connects downtown Sarasota with Bird Key, Lido Key and St. Armands Circle
Height/vertical clearance: 65 feet
Horizontal clearance: 100 feet
Length: 3,097 feet
Span: 184 to 300 feet
Lanes: 4
Fun fact: More than 2,400 people participated in 5K and 10K runs in August 2003 to celebrate the causeway bridge opening — after more than a decade of contentious debate about its size.

Additional reporting by Mark Gordon