CORTEZ – When the new 65-foot-tall Cortez Bridge is built, it will not be a drawbridge, eliminating the need for a bridge keeper, and a Cortez group wants to save the bridge keeper’s cabin at the top of the bridge.
The Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS) has begun discussions with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) about acquiring and preserving portions of the structure.
“I don’t have a concrete idea of what it will be,” said CVHS President Cindy Rodgers. “I’m hoping we can put together some ideas.”
On August 16, FDOT representatives, including Cortez Bridge Project Manager Ryan Weeks, visited the Cortez Cultural Center.
“This is my first time here and I really want us to look at some of the alternative items and walk across the bridge, talk about a few different things, things that could easily be removed and put on display here,” Weeks said.
Instead of transporting the entire building, which would be a costly undertaking, discussions revolved around preserving parts of the building.
“We are interested in the material that is in there,” said Alan Garner, a member of the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH).
Possible preservation items discussed by CVHS and FISH members include controls, lights, and boom arms.
“Our discussions at FISH were about what this has to do with the actual village,” said FISH Treasurer Jane von Hahmann. “The more we thought about it, the more we came to the conclusion that the Florida Maritime Museum would be a better fit, but we continue to discuss it.”
“As a link between Cortez and the Gulf Islands, the Cortez Bridge is part of our history. How many times have we driven over that bridge, caught our first glimpse of the sparkling Gulf on the other side, watched the pelicans dive in for their dinner and the people fish,” Rodgers said. “It is part of Cortez history and we want to preserve as much of that history as possible for future generations. There will be no bridgekeeper’s building or bridgekeeper on the new bridge. Eventually, drawbridges will likely be a thing of the past.”
After tours of the center and the FISH Preserve, representatives from FDOT, CVHS, FISH and the Florida Maritime Museum went to the bridge to tour the bridge keeper’s house.
“I think we had a very good (and full) day – we met at the centre, Alan and Jane gave us a narrated tour of the reserve, we had lunch at the Star Fish and then took a walk to the bridge,” Rodgers wrote in an August 16 email to The Sun. “We were also able to go in and go to the lower area and talk to the bridge keeper. This made me realise that we really need to get an oral history of these people; one of them has been doing this job for about 30 years – what stories he must have to tell!”
Rodgers said CVHS will put together a wish list of things they want and FDOT will let them know what is possible.
The drawbridge was built in 1956 with an estimated lifespan of 50 years. Over the past 20 years, numerous repair and maintenance projects have been carried out on the bridge.
The design phase of the new bridge began in October 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2025. The construction project will be awarded to the selected contractor in summer 2025, and construction is scheduled to begin in late 2025 or early 2026, according to the Cortez Bridge Project website, www.cortezbridge.com.
