Fishing Bridge Declared Structurally Deficient

The eight span bridge on Airport Road, commonly called the "Fishing Bridge," is showing signs of deterioration. Salt water and weather have taken their toll. Built in 1958, the bridge has been declared structurally deficient by a State of Florida Bridge Inspector. Levy County is responsible for that bridge, and county officials have been searching for funds to solve the problem.

Fishing Bridge with missing railings. Note reinforcement rod hanging down into boat channel.

Bridge inspectors rate bridges on a scale of 0 to 100. A score of 50 is passing. The Fishing Bridge scored 27, well under passing, after inspection in May of 2006. An alternative bridge rating scale runs from 1 to 10, with 1 indicating need for immediate closure. The Fishing Bridge was rated at 4. That low rating triggered an automatic annual inspection in May 2007.

Currently the Fishing Bridge has whole sections of railing missing. Perhaps more serious are the long pieces of reinforcing rods hanging down from the underside of the bridge. In some places the rebar endangers boats passing under the bridge.

A view of the west side of the Fishing Bridge showing the exposed reinforcement bars and the water pipeline that supplies drinking water and fire water to homes in the Airport Area.

Funding for bridge replacement comes to Florida from the federal government. According to a bridge inspector interviewed by Cedar Key News, the federal funds are used primarily for inspection by consultants, with left over funds used for replacement. The Fishing Bridge is currently 180 on a priority list of 232 bridges.

The current weight limit on the Fishing Bridge is 31 tons for two axle vehicles. Vehicles with more than two axles may use the bridge as long as they meet state highway weight limits.