BARTOW, Fla. — Construction is now underway on a new multi-use bridge over State Road 60 in Bartow. It’s aimed at improving safety for bicyclists and pedestrians using the Fort Fraser Trail.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is leading the project, which has been in the works for more than a decade.
Trish Pfeiffer, a Bartow city commissioner and avid cyclist, first identified the need for the bridge in 2010 after trying to cross the busy road herself.
“I noticed when I was riding the trail, that when I came to State Road 60, I couldn’t get over 60. So I had to go down to the light, cross nine lanes of very busy traffic. And so I said, we need a bridge,” Pfeiffer said.
This is a FDOT rendering of the bridge. (FDOT)
The bridge will now connect two sides of the Fort Fraser Trail, which is a nearly eight-mile multi-use trail that runs parallel to US 98 in Polk County.
Local business owners, like Jason Brown, owner of Road & Trail Bicycles, hope the bridge will also attract more visitors to downtown Bartow.
“I think the bridge would be tremendous in opening up downtown Bartow to not just serious cyclists but casual cyclists,” Brown said.
Construction officially began on Thursday. The $9.6-million FDOT project is expected to be done by the middle of the next year.