After a year and a half and almost $8 million, the Main Street bridge has reopened.
The final bridge closing was over the weekend and full traffic is expected to cross today. Sidewalks will be open by Christmas, according to a Florida Department of Transportation spokesman, and any future work will cause minor inconvenience.
“The JTA has some lighting work to do and there are some repairs still to be done under the bridge,” said the FDOT’s Mike Goldman. “There’s some minor work on one of the approaches and we may have to close a northbound lane from time to time, but that’s all.
“The best thing has been the patience of the people. It’s been a real inconvenience and we’ve had few complaints.”
The work started in July 2003 and cost $7.6 million to make needed repairs on the 1,680-foot structure, which was built in 1939 and named for five-time mayor John T. Alsop. It’s better known as the Main Street Bridge due to the streets it connects.
The contractors have been under a tight deadline as all contracts required work to be finished well in advance of the Super Bowl, when the bridge will be a key component in the downtown entertainment district as it will be closed to vehicular traffic so partygoers can easily move between the Northbank and Southbank venues.