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Fifty-one days down, 54 to go.
The renovation of the Platt Street Bridge has caused minor headaches for commuters and downtown merchants, but Hillsborough County officials say the project has been running smoothly and is nearly halfway done.
"We're on time, under budget, and everything is looking good," said Steve Valdez, client services manager for the county's Public Works department.
The bridge, which spans the Hillsborough River, was built in 1924 to relieve traffic congestion on the 1913 bridge that today is known as the Kennedy Boulevard Bridge. The 518-foot concrete drawbridge cost $400,000 at the time.
The new bridge is expected to cost $13.8 million, with $11.4 million coming out of the Community Investment Tax and the remainder from a federal transportation grant.
Despite concerns about massive traffic congestion from closing the bridge for 105 days, commuters have been finding alternative routes in and out of the city, Valdez said.
"Joe Public has really stepped up to the plate," he said. "Everyone is taking their own route, and it has really been running smoothly."
Named for O.H. Platt, who came to Tampa in the late 1880s and developed Hyde Park, the bridge carries traffic into downtown next to the Tampa Convention Center.
For the full article, visit the Tampa Tribune.
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