One-way bridge traffic to begin in mid-January

STAFF REPORT - Beginning in mid-January, the south bridge of the Boca Grande Causeway will be taken down to one lane of traffic. There are also 13 nights of construction slated as well.

“The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority fixed bridge contract includes an allowance for a one month, or 30 day, period of continuous single-lane operation for causeway traffic at the south bridge,” said executive director Jim Cooper. Presently the precise single-lane operation start date is not known. Orion currently estimates the 30-day period of continuous single lane operations will probably start sometime between January 15 and January 30,  and then last for 30 continuous days from the actual January start date into February.”

Cooper said a temporary traffic light signal will be installed at the south bridge during that time.

“GIBA has provided Orion’s traffic engineers with two years of daily traffic counts for January and February, 2011 and 2012, which they will use to best set the timing for the temporary electronic traffic signals,” Cooper said. “The lights will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The traffic signals will be located at each end of the new south bridge on the roadways. The plan has been coordinated with the fire department, EMS and the sheriff’s office as well, to ensure emergency operations are not impacted.

“It will be the first time we’ve ever had a traffic light on the island,” Cooper joked.