WSLR reporter Noah Vinsky has the details.
By Noah Vinsky
Original Air Date: October 11, 2024
Host: The Little Ringling Bridge is the only connector between downtown Sarasota, the touristy St. Armands Key and Lido Key, and posh Bird Key and Longboat Key. The bridge’s northern span has been damaged during the hurricane, and traffic is reduced to the southern span. And it’s not the only bridge damaged in this area. Even before Milton’s landfall, Manatee County had to shut down three bridges that took a hit during Helene. WSLR News reporter Noah Vinsky gives us a first glimpse of roads and bridges in this area, after Milton swept through the area.
Noah Vinsky: Even though the worst of Hurricane Milton has passed, residents are still being advised to stay off the roads in Sarasota and Manatee counties. County officials are asking residents to allow first responders to conduct search and rescue operations and assess possible storm damages.
Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi said that reported storm surge was between seven and eight feet. Longboat Key officials reported bridge damage just west of the Ringling Bridge, blocking access to the island through New Pass Bridge. The island opened for tiered access Friday morning.
Many roads throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties were closed due to flooding or debris.The Manatee County Severe Weather Information Center reported 58 emergency road closures Thursday afternoon in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, many due to downed power lines, downed trees, and floodwater. The county says that most areas of the county were accessible by Thursday evening.
In Sarasota, Pineapple Avenue was closed at Ringling Boulevard due to damage sustained by the Sarasota Private Trust Company building.
Access to the barrier islands, including Casey Key, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria Island were closed Thursday to assess storm damage and bridge safety.
As of Friday afternoon, the barrier islands are only open to residents and business owners. Sarasota County beaches remain closed.
North Port officials reported that all arterial roads are clear.
Sarasota County said that nearly half the county remains out of power as of Friday morning, and many traffic signals remain malfunctioning throughout the area. Tapfumaneyi is reminding drivers that intersections with non-functioning signals should be treated as a four-way stop, yielding to other drivers as necessary. To report a non-functioning traffic signal, drivers can dial 3-1-1.
Drivers must treat intersections with knocked-out traffic lights like four-way stops. Crash on Macintosh Road in Sarasota on Saturday. Photo: Lopez
Sandra Tapfumaneyi: Yesterday, I was talking to you about the roadway conditions, and if you’re going to travel back or just even travel about the county, be very, very cautious. We are still out of power throughout 50% of the county, so there’s been some improvements, but still a lot of power outages, including our signals. So be very cautious. When I was out and about driving yesterday, I saw a number of people flying through the signals without stopping, treat it as a four way stop. If you see a stoplight and it is out, drive around. Late last night, we were trying to do assessments of the debris still in the roadway, and I came across a large pile of debris, and it’s so dark outside that you don’t see those piles of debris in the roadway until you’re right up on it. It was very dangerous. I was able to get out of the way, but it did some damage to the vehicle I was driving. So I want you to just be cautious. Just want to make sure that you guys are getting that message, if you are going to be driving, try to do that during the day, so that you can see the obstacles that might be laying before you. And if you have to drive at night, just drive very slowly. It is very hard to be able to see the debris on the road. We continue to have crews out today, cleaning and clearing roads, and we hope to have that cleared as soon as possible but if you have to be on the roads today, just be very cautious if you can stay home another day, I would highly encourage you to do that there is a lot of those signals out like we said, and a lot of people are trying to drive about, so it’d be safer for you to stay home if you can.
NV: This is Noah Vinsky for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.