Popular pedestrian bridge in Seminole reopens after rehabbing safety concerns

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. — A popular pedestrian bridge has reopened ahead of schedule in Winter Springs after being closed for construction since the end of April.

Christina Watts uses the pedestrian bridge to cross over State Road 434 to continue running on the Seminole Cross Trail.

“I was surprised it’s been closed for a little bit,” Watts said. “I figured it would be open for us to be able to get to the nicer end of the trail, where it’s more shaded, and to finish off my run.”

According to information from Seminole County, the bridge was closed on April 28 and wasn’t expected to reopen for 150 days.

Watts said it was frustrating to find the bridge closed without any explanation.

“We don’t know why it’s closed, and it’s confusing because this is the route we like to take for our runs,” Watts said.

During the closure, Watts had to change her routes, stopping and turning around at SR-434, fearful of crossing four lanes of busy traffic.

“There’s no crosswalk,” Watts said. “There’s not even a light to take you across.”

A Seminole County spokesperson said the bridge was closed for a critical safety rehabilitation project, which included fixing slab cracks, resurfacing the deck and removing equestrian tiles and railings that separated the equestrian trail.

Bike calming features were also a part of the project, the spokesperson said.

“I think it’s great that they are rehabilitating the bridge,” Watts said. “However, it would be nice if maybe they would have done one side at a time or left an area for runners to get across.”

For safety reasons, the entire bridge had to be closed until the end of construction, according to the county spokesperson.

About a week ago, the bridge reopened ahead of schedule.

“It’s really important that we’re able to come on the trail and run in the mornings, and run in a safe place where there’s not a lot of cars,” Watts said.

Some electronic signs still need to be installed, but when they arrive from back order, county officials say crews won’t have to close the bridge.

Seminole County monitors and maintains 83 bridge structures, and a recent inspection found the problems that resulted in the Cross Seminole Trail rehabilitation project.

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