Public invited to Ft. Hamer Bridge ribbon cutting ceremony

Manatee County residents and media are invited to an Oct. 18 ribbon cutting event for the Ft. Hamer Bridge.

Those attending should plan to be at Ft. Hamer Rowing Park, 1605 Fort Hamer Road in Parrish by 8 a.m. The ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Note: The bridge will not be open to traffic before the ceremony, so those attending should arrive from the north.

The bridge is expected to open to traffic by 11 a.m., after the ceremony is complete and barricades have been removed from the road.

County Commissioners held a ground-breaking ceremony and construction began on the bridge on March 19, 2015. The bridge opened briefly this September to accommodate evacuation and emergency traffic related to Hurricane Irma. Since that time, final construction has been completed.

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit online at www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter, @ManateeGov.