What does a Saturday at Coquina Beach look like when the shortest drive there runs through a construction zone until 2029? In Bradenton, a free parking garage downtown and a boat that now docks at the south end of Anna Maria Island give a different answer than they did a year ago. FDOT's contractor was scheduled to begin replacing the Cortez Bridge around Nov. 9. The work starts as the winter months arrive and island traffic builds. Two months earlier, Manatee County had added Coquina Beach as a third stop on the Gulf Islands Ferry, so the ferry now reaches the end of the island closest to the bridge work.
A bridge project measured in years
The Cortez Bridge replacement is a roughly $123 million FDOT project on State Road 684. It covers about 0.9 mile from Gulf Drive to 123rd Street West, and FDOT expects construction to last about 1,200 days. Cortez Road will stay open the whole time. Crews will build the new bridge in two phases beside the old one, starting with the northern half.
At an Oct. 20 public information session, FDOT senior projects engineer Dustin Spears told the AMI Sun that the contractor, SEMA Construction, was looking "tentatively at November 9th" to begin. He said individual lane closures would happen intermittently. "Those can happen any time during the day," he told the paper.
Here is the published schedule. FDOT notes that it may change.
| Timing | What the schedule calls for |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | South sidewalk closes and pedestrians shift to the north side; in-water pile driving and a temporary trestle begin north of the existing bridge |
| Early 2027 | Traffic shifts to a temporary diversion road; Hunters Point Way opens |
| Spring 2027 | 127th Street West closes temporarily, with traffic detoured via Hunters Point Way |
| 2028 | Traffic moves onto the newly built half of the bridge; demolition of the old bridge begins |
| Summer 2029 | Entire bridge open to traffic |
| Late 2029 | Punch-list work wraps up |
The county also approved more of the former Seafood Shack property as a construction and staging area. Those plans had originally reserved that parcel for overflow parking.
Other work is underway this month too. The Nov. 2 Traffic Watch from the Sarasota/Manatee MPO lists daytime lane closures on Cortez Road between 75th and 86th Street West through November. It also lists tree-trimming closures on Manatee Avenue from Kay Road to Gulf Drive during November, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A separate districtwide testing project brings intermittent overnight lane and sidewalk closures to both the Cortez Bridge and the Anna Maria Island Bridge on SR 64. Both driving routes to the island have work zones this month.
The third stop changed what the ferry is for
For most of its life, the Gulf Islands Ferry ran between the Bradenton Riverwalk and the Historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach. That made it a good way to spend an afternoon on Bridge Street, but it was an indirect way to reach the beaches south of there. On Labor Day weekend, the county added Coquina Beach as a third stop. Three vessels now serve three stops, and the service is funded by the Tourist Development Tax.
The ferry was already busy before the change. According to the county, more than 55,000 passengers rode it in 2025, which kept nearly 23,000 cars off the roads. Announcing the new stop, County Commission Chair Tal Siddique said it "will positively impact the roadways running the seven miles of paradise on Anna Maria Island."
The route matters in light of the bridge schedule. Coquina Beach sits on Gulf Drive near Longboat Pass, and the Cortez Bridge has long been the direct drive there from west Bradenton. The ferry now ends at that beach, so the trip starts on the Manatee River and never touches Cortez Road.
How the trip works from downtown
The ferry's FAQ says the service runs year-round, Thursday through Sunday, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and that schedules may change on holidays. The Bradenton Area tourism bureau puts the ride at about 50 minutes.
- Park downtown for free. The ferry directs riders to the City Centre Parking Facility on 3rd Avenue West between 10th and 12th Streets. Parking there is free, and the Riverwalk Pier is about a five-minute walk away. Parking near the Bridge Street Pier is limited.
- Pack for the beach and leave the bike at home. Coolers and beach gear are allowed. Bicycles are not, and neither are household pets, though service animals are welcome.
- Choose your stop. Get off at Bridge Street for the restaurants and shops, or stay aboard for Coquina Beach.
- Plan the return before 9 p.m. That is when the operating window closes.
Fares from the operator's current ticket page:
| Fare | Riverwalk and Bridge Street, one way | Riverwalk and Bridge Street, round trip | Coquina Beach, one way | Coquina Beach, round trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult, 18+ | $7 | $11 | $5 | $9 |
| Senior 60–79, military | $5 | $7 | $3 | $5 |
| Child, 4–18 | $5 | $7 | $3 | $5 |
| Child under 3, senior 80+ | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Service fees may apply on top of these fares.
The trolley covers everything north of the docks
Once you're on the island, the free Route 5 trolley takes over. Manatee County runs it daily from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., about every 20 minutes, between the Anna Maria City Pier and Coquina Beach. Gulf Drive at Bridge Street is a stop, and Coquina Beach is the southern end of the line. Both ferry landings connect to the trolley, so the north end of the island is reachable without a car.
On Thursday through Sunday, the boat and the trolley together cover most of the island. On Monday through Wednesday the ferry doesn't run. Those days still mean driving, and the Cortez Road lane closures can come at any hour.
Saturdays on Bridge Street through December
The Bridge Street landing puts riders right at the island's holiday events. The Bridge Street Sundown Get Down Christmas Tree Lighting is set for Saturday, Nov. 21, from 2 to 8 p.m., according to the Anna Maria Island Chamber's calendar. The street's merchant group lists "Holidays in Paradise" every Saturday from Nov. 21 through Dec. 26, plus a New Year's Eve Oyster Drop on Dec. 31. Dec. 31 falls on a Thursday, which is a ferry day, but the ferry stops at 9 p.m.
The ferry lands next to Anna Maria Oyster Bar, the pier restaurant at 200 Bridge St. Walking up the street, the merchant directory also lists Daiquiri Deck, Island Time Bar & Grill, the Bridge Tender Inn, Drift-In AMI and Blue Marlin, along with shops such as Bridge Street Bazaar and Back Alley Treasures. The 2024 storms badly damaged the Rod & Reel and Anna Maria City piers, but the Bridge Street pier was left standing, as the AMI Sun reported.
Parking is the other reason to take the boat on these Saturdays. In August, Bradenton Beach extended a temporary permit for the paid lot at the west end of Bridge Street, and nearby merchants told the city they rely on it, according to the AMI Sun. A free garage downtown and an $11 round trip skip the search for a space near the pier.
Coquina Beach, with sand work on the calendar
At the south end, Manatee County's Coquina Beach page lists concessions, a gift shop, picnic areas, grills, a playground, restrooms, changing cabanas, a lifeguard station, a walking trail and a trolley stop. The concession stand lends beach wheelchairs and a walker for free, first come, first served. Grandparents visiting for the holidays can ride the ferry and borrow a beach wheelchair at the stand without any planning ahead.
Coquina got new sand this fall. Starting Sept. 9, a county project repairing damage from Hurricane Idalia placed 63,450 cubic yards of sand along roughly 0.9 mile from south of 13th Street South to Longboat Pass. While crews worked, closures were limited to the work zones and the rest of the beach stayed open. A larger federally funded Anna Maria Island renourishment is scheduled to run from November 2026 into spring 2027, per the county's June announcement. That puts the work on the island in the same months the Cortez Bridge crews will be driving piles.
For the next three winters, the ferry gives Bradenton residents a way to the island that avoids the bridge work: four days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., starting at a free garage on 3rd Avenue West.
If you're weighing how much the Cortez Bridge timeline affects daily life on the west side of Bradenton or out on the island, Cassidy Calman Gibson and The CARE Team are glad to walk through what the construction schedule means for the streets and neighborhoods you're considering. Contact us.
