Crews will be painting portions of the structure
Drivers should expect single-lane closures on the Stickney Point bridge to Siesta Key next week, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced on April 21.
Only one lane will be closed in one direction at a time, Lauren Hatchell, the public information officer for the construction project, stressed to The Sarasota News Leader in a telephone interview.
The closures will be in effect between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., she said, but, “Unfortunately, I do not have a definitive date” for them to start.
Crews will be painting portions of the bridge and railing, an FDOT news release explained. Because of humidity issues at night, Hatchell added, the contractor — Coastal Marine Construction of Venice — had asked whether its employees could work in the daytime instead of just at night. The project is scheduled to be finished by late May, she pointed out.
“If they had asked two weeks ago,” she told the News Leader, “we would have said, ‘No.’” However, given that traffic “is much, much lighter,” she continued, FDOT agreed to allow the Coastal Marine crews to work just between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Still, she noted, the restriction FDOT has put in place for only one lane to be closed at a time is designed “to help the remaining traffic that is out there.”
The closures will be in effect for the next couple of weeks, Hatchell added.
Drivers also should expect nighttime/overnight lane closures between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., the FDOT news release said.
The project involves concrete repairs throughout the bridge, seawall repairs, tender/control house improvements and repairs to the mechanical and electrical components of the bridge, along with the painting, FDOT has reported in earlier news releases.
The humidity problem, Hatchell explained, is common when bridge projects necessitate painting. “It’s Florida,” she pointed out.
As for the project in general: When the News Leader mentioned the heavy seasonal traffic this year, Hatchell said, “There’s definitely been some challenges. … We really hope to get it wrapped up before the end of May.”