Randy Burr and I attended a virtual meeting with Commissioner Eggers on December 1. The purpose of the meeting was to review the list of questions we sent to Commissioner Eggers after the Commission meeting of October 21, 2025. Randy and I feel Commissioner Eggers made a sincere effort expressing our concerns to senior management of Pinellas County Public Works (PCPW) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), but it seems our combined community’s efforts to achieve improvements to the existing bridge replacement plan have not resulted in any significant changes to that plan by PCPW or FDOT.

Here are the facts:

• PCPW and FDOT believe the existing plan to partially demolish the bridge and operate one lane that manages traffic in both directions will be successful and not result in the single lane becoming unstable.

• The original plan of having two-way traffic along the single lane of the bridge managed by temporary flagging devices has been modified. Temporary traffic signals are being designed to coordinate with the existing signal network, which allows emergency service providers to preempt the signals and allows the county to adjust signal timing remotely from the traffic control center.

• Advanced Bridge Construction (ABC) methods, such as prefabrication, are not feasible because of the bridge’s scour-critical designation. Some components such as the beams will likely be prefabricated offsite, but the use of ABS methods is limited due to structural issues.

• The duration of construction is still estimated at 18 months to 2 years. There are no plans to issue contracts that will require extended work days that might otherwise accelerate the bridge replacement project. The final determination concerning the duration of construction will be made when the contracts are issued. A time line of the bid process and issuance of contracts is outlined below.

• The design of the expansion of the intersection at East Lake Road and Tarpon Woods Blvd. is being finalized. The work will be performed by PCPW, and it will be completed by Aril 2026.

• The permitting for “Tommy’s Carwash” on the northeast corner of East Lake Road and Tarpon Woods Blvd is currently denied because, according to PCPW, the car wash is in the wellhead protection overlay. They believe the use of a car wash is not allowable according to wellhead protection ordinance – LDC 166 Article IV. But, the applicant is working with Pinellas County Utilities (PCU) to discuss the possibility of appealing this determination. To date, PCU has not received an amended proposal from the applicant.

BID PROCESS AND ISSUANCE OF CONTRACTS FOR BRIDGE REPLACEMENT

1. FDOT will issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from vendors on April 17, 2026.
2. Responses from vendors to the RFPs are due by May 20, 2026.
3. Bids made pursuant to the RFPs will be posted publicly at https://bidletting.fdot.gov/LettingMain.
4. Bids will be awarded about 50 days after May 20, 2026.

Although material changes aren’t being made by FDOT or PCPW to the Brooker Creek Bridge Replacement Project, the added scrutiny and review of the project will hopefully reduce the likelihood of a major problem. Commissioner Eggers knows we view him as the local elected representative most responsible for protecting our interests. I think he realizes that it is in his best interests to continue to field our concerns and monitor the project. When the bids are awarded this summer, we’ll know the vendor’s proposed construction timeframe.

To monitor this bridge replacement project, which is FDOT Project # 445437-1-52-01, go to: http://www.FDOTtampabay.com and search by this project number. This will pull up the Ridgemoor Bridge project data including specs, diagrams, etc…and residents can monitor developments once the project begins at this website.

If, as the contracts are issued and the project commences, we recognize issues that need to be addressed to ensure our safety and well-being, I think Commissioner Eggers will be responsive and attempt to do whatever he can to address our concerns. I wish I had better news, but the outline above is our reality.

All our best,

Bob Panzanaro & Randy Burr