Dania bridge to beach closing at peak season
Timing a ‘nightmare’ for businesses and tourists, officials say
DANIA BEACH — Tourist season always brings more traffic, but this year it will be far worse if you’re heading to the beach in Dania or Hollywood.
State transportation officials are closing the Dania Beach Boulevard bridge over the Intracoastal from Jan. 12 through mid-March to make $5.75 million in repairs and upgrades. That means thousands of cars will be rerouted to Sheridan Street via Southeast Fifth Avenue during the region’s busiest time of the year.
The work will also require the occasional closure of one lane in each direction along A1A.
The state does not take tourist season into consideration when planning projects, said Casey Liening, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Transportation.
“The contractor proposed to [close the bridge] in January,” Liening said. “And we have no control over their schedule. I promise we don’t try to do our projects in the height of the season just to make people angry.”
Both Hollywood and Dania Beach officials wondered why the project could not wait until summer, when roads are less crowded with tourists, locals and snowbirds.
“That’s going to be a nightmare for us,” Hollywood Commissioner Peter Hernandez said. “It may be convenient for the contractor, but they really need to look at the burden they are going to put the residents and the visitors through. I would hope they would revisit that plan.”
Dania Beach Mayor Marco Salvino isn’t happy either.
“It’s not going to be very good for our beach and our businesses,” he said. “Why they picked the time to do it in the middle of the season is beyond me. They have to pick the wintertime when all the tourists are down here.”
Quinn Construction was awarded the contract in February and began work in mid-October, Liening said. The contractor was given a deadline of May 22 to complete the project.
The upgrades include a renovated bridge tender’s house, a new bikefriendly riding surface and sidewalk decking across the bridge span, new guardrails and a new paint job.
Dania Beach resident David Clark was not pleased to learn that more drivers will be routed through his neighborhood to get to Sheridan Street.
“I can’t believe people are that damn stupid,” he said. “We get about 10,000 cars a day going down SE Fifth Avenue between Dania Beach Boulevard and Sheridan. If that turns into
30,000 cars a day, it will be bedlam over there. It will be a helluva mess.”
An estimated 10,300 cars travel daily on Dania Beach Boulevard, compared to 16,100 on Sheridan Street.
State officials have no estimates on how many cars might wind up on Sheridan Street while the bridge is closed, but plan to monitor traffic until the bridge opens, Liening said.
Local officials and residents are predicting motorists will steer clear of the area – and nearby businesses – to avoid the traffic crunch.
“Any businesses at the Dania pier and any businesses on the Hollywood side are going to feel the pinch,” Hernandez said. “If it’s hard for people to get there, they probably won’t go.”
Hollywood resident Patricia Antrican said she was frustrated by the timing.
“It seems like the state doesn’t communicate with the cities,” she said. “They do what they want. Why are they doing this in the middle of season?”
But Dania Beach Commissioner Chickie Brandimarte said people would gripe about the bridge closure no matter when it happens.
“Either time of the year, it’s still a huge inconvenience,” she said.
Paul Flanigan, owner of the Quarterdeck at the Dania Beach Pier, thinks tourists and locals will still come to the pier even with all the delays.
“There’s enough people in the area who we think will want to come,” he said. “People coming down here from Chicago are going to wait for an hour to get to the pier. That pier is spectacular. When I have guests from out of town, I take them there.”
“Any businesses at the Dania pier and any businesses on the Hollywood side are going to feel the pinch.” Peter Hernandez, Hollywood commissioner