Pedestrians prohibited when temp bridge takes over traffic flow -- motorists, use patience

If you have grown accustomed to taking in the beautiful sights of the Boca Grande Causeway by meandering across on foot, you’ll have to make other plans in the near future. The end of an era is nigh.

Next Thursday or Friday, June 7 or 8, the south bridge will see its final traffic after 54 years of service. The temporary bridge is in place, and plans to connect it to the causeway continue.

The temporary bridge is scheduled to be open for just over six months, when the new south bridge will be completed.

There are a few things that the public needs to know for the interim. The temporary bridge does not have shoulders, so bicyclists, golf carters and drivers will have to share the traffic lanes. With the increase in bike traffic that the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has seen since the opening of the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail, cyclists and drivers will need to keep an eye out for one another.

One type of traffic that should not be a problem is foot traffic. Pedestrians are not authorized to walk across the temporary span, and there will be signs posted to that effect.