Cedar Key News - FDOT BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PLANS

FDOT PRESENTS CONCEPTS

FACES CITIZEN CONCERNS

October 28, 2014

On Monday, October 27, 2014, Florida Department of Transportation personnel presented their preliminary replacement concepts for three Cedar Key bridges to a concerned audience of over seventy individuals.

From 4:30 until 6:30 pm, FDOT personnel spoke informally to citizens individually or in small groups; all milled around a series of displays which included aerial photos, cross-sections, timelines, and budgets. At 6:30 pm, seated audience members articulated their concerns to District Planning and Environmental Manager William Henderson.

The three bridges, to be concurrently replaced in 2017, and the FDOT’s preliminary concepts follow.

CR 456 / Gulf Boulevard at Lewis Pass will have two-ten foot travel lanes, three-foot shoulders, and six-foot sidewalks on both sides of the highway.
CR 456 / Gulf Boulevard at Daughtry Bayou will have two ten-foot travel lanes, three-foot shoulders, and six-foot sidewalks on both sides of the highway.
C Street Bridge at Cedar Key Channel Pass will be raised four feet, have a 17-foot one-way travel lane, two eight-foot parking lanes, and six-foot sidewalks on both sides of the highway.

Visualizing the changes evoked dramatic reactions from the audience, even though all seemed to understand that the bridges need to be replaced soon.

Some residents/renters saw the law of eminent domain removing them from their present locations adjacent to the bridges and relocating them elsewhere.
A resident said that the FDOT’s preliminary presentations seemed appropriate for a new community in a different place anticipating huge growth which is not appropriate in Cedar Key.
Several individuals saw their Dock Street businesses interrupted and disrupting their employees’ lives.
Some saw the imposition of much additional concrete and impervious surfaces which is contrary to Cedar Key regulations.
Some saw the elimination of fishing from bridges.
Others saw the elimination of the views from the bridges interrupted with too-tall, opaque concrete buttresses.
Another asked about the size and location of the staging area.

Henderson responded, saying:

that FDOT adds pedestrian features, such as six-foot sidewalks, because most communities want them;
if the community does not want six-foot sidewalks, they do not have to have them;
if the community wants sidewalks on one side of the bridge only, they may have that;
if the community prefers low buttresses along bridges, they may have that;
and that these replacement bridges would not be refurbished or rebuilt again for 75 years.

THE MESSAGE

Henderson said his office would consider the citizens’ input, but “we’ll make the final decision.”

Henderson clearly stated that that citizens must make their concerns heard. He suggested using:

e mail to Project Manager Leigh Ann Bennett at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or
Department of Transportation, District Two, 1109 South Marion Avenue, MS2007, Lake City, Florida 32025. U.S. Mail addressed to Project Manager Leigh Ann Bennett, Florida.
Detail of the concepts are found on the website, www.nflroads.com/goto/CedarKeyBridges.

Henderson stated that the FDOT group would return in January with its “preferred alternative.”

The message was clear. If Cedar Keyans want or do not want specific items regarding the bridges, they must articulate that in writing en masse.

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