Manatee County commissioners approve staging site for Cortez bridge project

CORTEZ, Fla. (WWSB) - Manatee County signed a land-use agreement Tuesday that is key to the Florida Department of Transportation’s plan to replace the Cortez drawbridge with a taller, fixed-span bridge. The agreement over how the land will be used has divided nearby businesses and neighbors.The county is allowing Sema Construction, FDOT’s bridge contractor, to use county-owned land where the Seafood Shack restaurant once stood, on the north side of the Cortez Bridge. Even though commissioners just signed the agreement, the staging site has been growing since mid-summer. County staff say placing the site there is intended to cut down on traffic near the Cortez Bridge.The work is part of FDOT’s project to replace the current Cortez drawbridge with a new 65-foot fixed-span bridge. To try to limit traffic problems during the next four years of construction, Manatee County approved the land-use agreement with Sema Construction. According to Manatee County, Sema Construction requested the 48