![The bridge on 40th Avenue N leading to Shore Acres in St. Petersburg on April 8 is slated to reopen much sooner than initially planned. Originally scheduled to be closed until May 22, the bridge will reopen Friday at 7:30 a.m. This is due to coordinated efforts from the City’s Engineering and Capital Improvements Department, the Stormwater, Traffic and Pavement Operations Department, the engineer and the contractor and materials being delivered earlier than expected, according to the city. [Times (2018)]](https://www.tampabay.com/resizer//TU24Wk29bfpRmzieNS_HC-b5Z5A=/426x0/smart/filters:format(webP)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tbt.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2FBDUJWIJMI6TGNIIBWI6S7HAY.jpg "The bridge on 40th Avenue N leading to Shore Acres in St. Petersburg on April 8 is slated to reopen much sooner than initially planned. Originally scheduled to be closed until May 22, the bridge will reopen Friday at 7:30 a.m. This is due to coordinated efforts from the City’s Engineering and Capital Improvements Department, the Stormwater, Traffic and Pavement Operations Department, the engineer and the contractor and materials being delivered earlier than expected, according to the city. [Times (2018)]")
ST. PETERSBURG — After being slated to be closed for six weeks, the 40th Avenue NE bridge will reopen Friday morning with a new pedestrian path.
Departments across the city working together, combined with materials being delivered earlier than expected, sped up the construction process to only 10 days, city spokesman Ben Kirby said. The bridge will be open by 7:30 a.m. with a new traffic pattern.
RELATED: 40th Avenue Bridge to close starting Monday
Construction for the $485,000 renovation began April 8. The repairs, which were expected to take until May 22, will set the bridge up for a final construction project.
The city is aiming to begin building a higher bridge in 2020 to help make evacuation routes more accessible. The estimated cost of the project is $7.8 million. No official date has been set for the project.
RELATED: New, higher bridge carries hopes for safety, increased property values
The bridge has been partially closed since August 2017, when structural issues were found during an inspection.
Contact McKenna Oxenden at moxenden@tampabay.com. Follow @mack_oxenden.
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