Tarpon Springs neighbors raise safety and traffic concerns over Ridgemoor Bridge project

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Residents in the Ridgemoor and Tarpon Woods communities have expressed concerns that a planned bridge replacement could cause significant traffic congestion and delay emergency response times.

This Pinellas County project will replace the aging Ridgemoor Bridge, which spans Brooker Creek and serves as one of only two roads in and out of the neighborhood. Neighbors say closing the bridge during construction will funnel all traffic onto the only other access road, creating backups and potential safety issues.

WATCH: Tarpon Springs neighbors raise safety and traffic concerns over Ridgemoor Bridge project

Several residents met Monday night at the East Lake Community Library, hoping to address their concerns directly with county and state officials. But many left the meeting frustrated, saying they didn’t get the assurances they were hoping for.

“Today, they are in the neighborhood in about three minutes, and if they have to go either all the way around or they have to wait at a light to be able to get through,” said Gisele Gobes, who lives in Tarpon Springs. “It's going to put people in danger cause they're not going to be able to get back there.”

“We really need to get ahead of it and figure out what is the right solution for all of these people that live back here in Ridgemoor,” said Kathy LeRoy, another Tarpon Springs resident.

County leaders stated that the bridge must be replaced due to its advanced age. They noted that one option under consideration is replacing one half of the bridge at a time, a method they described as a standard approach for similar projects.

Officials stressed they would not keep the bridge open to traffic if the Florida Department of Transportation deemed it unsafe.

Construction on the project is expected to begin early next year.