Osprey Avenue Bridge Closing to Traffic

Sarasota, FL — Sarasota area residents who use the Osprey Avenue Bridge to get around will need to find new routes soon.

The city has announced the bridge is scheduled to close on Aug. 1 as a utility project gets under way. The closing will affect Osprey Avenue from Mound Street to Hillview Street.

The project in question involves work related to the city’s lift station 87. The closing is expected to last for about 12 months while crews install a wastewater gravity main via a microtunnel under Hudson Bayou.

As the closing date nears, the city said it will place message boards on key roads to give residents, commuters and business owners advanced warning. The bridge will also be off limits to bicyclists and pedestrians during the closing.

“We’re still reviewing the detailed schedule, but construction could occur as early at the start of August,” said Sarasota Utility Director Mitt Tidwell in a statement. “We know this will be inconvenient for residents, commuters and visitors, but it is a necessary step to building a more reliable, environmentally sound wastewater system.”

Residents and business owners who want to learn more about the project are invited to a public meeting on July 26 at 1:30 p.m. at the SRQ Media Studio, 1565 1st St. in Sarasota. Project information is also available online at www.liftstation87.com.

The new lift station is meant to replace the one currently located at 935 Pomelo Ave. Waste water will be redirected from the old station to the new one, which will go in Luke Wood Park. Construction is taking place in three phases with an anticipated completion at the end of 2020.

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