PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Residents of Ridgemoor and Tarpon Woods are expressing concerns about an upcoming bridge replacement project. They believe the project could cause traffic and safety issues.
"We’ve been here 33 years. My kids have grown up here. We’ve done all the activities here we have neighbors that we’ve had for years and this is our home," said Gisele Gobes, who lives in Ridgemoor, a small community in Palm Harbor.
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Gobes said she has never had any concerns about the neighborhood until now.
"This is more than just a bridge fix but this is really a security and a safety concern," she said.
Ridgemoor and Tarpon Woods communities are almost hidden neighborhoods, with only two ways in and out of the area.
One of those ways is to cross Ridgemoor Bridge over Brooker Creek.
The Florida Department of Transportation and Pinellas County are scheduled to replace the bridge, a construction project that has brought concerns to residents.
"We feel it’s gonna disrupt the traffic flow that the communities feel that way and they have been emailing and sending letters to and from the commission and the public works department," said John Miolla with the Council of Northern County Communities.
Residents emailed Tampa Bay 28 reporter Casey Albritton about the issue.
Gobes said if the bridge is shut down for construction, traffic will build up on the only other road in and out of the neighborhood, Tarpon Woods Boulevard, which could also impact emergency response.
"Today, they 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. It’s gonna put people in danger cause they’re not gonna be able to get back there," said Gobes.
She said that’s not the only concern with the road.
"Tarpon Woods floods when there’s heavy rain when there’s hurricanes and so forth, which makes it not able to… so we’re gonna be cut off basically," said Gobes.
The county and FDOT said the bridge needs to be replaced because the structure is old and needs more maintenance.
County leaders said they’ve looked into building a temporary bridge for residents to use while the other bridge gets demolished and rebuilt, but it would have major environmental impacts, cost more money, and delay the project even more.
County leaders said another potential solution is to demolish half of the bridge at a time, keeping one lane open to allow traffic to go in and out of the neighborhoods.
Residents are worried about whether the bridge will be stable enough to maintain traffic during partial demolition.
County leaders said this is a commonly used solution and they would not allow people to drive over the bridge if FDOT deemed it unsafe.
Gobes and other residents say they also want other solutions explored.
"We want to feel safe and we want to continue to live in our neighborhood that we love," said Gobes.
The project is scheduled to begin early next year and resident said until then, they want their voices heard.
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