Temporary repairs for troubled Marco Island bridge conclude before target date

Tomas Rodriguez, Naples Daily News
·2 min read

The temporary repairs for a troubled Marco Island bridge once on the brink of collapse wrapped up sooner than city officials expected.

Marco Island city officials announced the repairs, which involved the removal and replacement of the post-tensioning tendons on the West Winterberry Bridge, concluded Thursday.

The temporary repairs began 7 a.m. Wednesday and were expected to run through 5 p.m. Saturday.

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On Feb. 21, the City Council authorized Manhattan Road and Bridge Company to remove, replace, and adjust the post-tensioning tendons on the bridge, city officials announced. The tendons hold the bridge support slabs together.

Boat restrictions were also lifted.

Casey Lucius, assistant city manager and spokesperson for the city, last week told the Daily News that the repairs are an additional step before construction begins for the replacement bridge.

In January, Janella Newsome, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation, said engineers noticed changes from a prior inspection and recommended the bridge close temporarily pending review.

State officials are reviewing the design plans for the bridge replacement. Once FDOT permits the project, the city will bid the project, officials said. They expect to award the contract in April and construction is scheduled to begin this summer.

In 2020, city officials reviewed the FDOT inspection reports indicating that the bridge is functionally obsolete and needs replacing.

State officials gave the bridge a score of 67, allowing the bridge to stay open. The design for the replacement bridge is completed and under review by state officials.

The replacement will cost $3.5 million, with $1.7 million from state funding and the rest coming from the city's budget. The City Council has approved the spending.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Marco Island West Winterberry Bridge repairs completed Thursday