There’s an easier way to get around Pinecraft these days.

The Pinecraft community and Sarasota County celebrated the completion of the new Pinecraft Pedestrian Bridge on Sept. 6 with a ribbon cutting. The bridge connects the Phillippi Creek Levee Trail to the county-owned property at the end of Graber Avenue.

The eight-foot-wide steel bridge is the result of a yearslong project meant to provide better connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists to the two areas. It was designed by DMK Associates, Inc. and constructed by American Empire Builders, Inc..Multiple county departments and the community worked together to make the project a reality.

“This is an incredible project, and we’re so proud to have made this happen,” says Sarasota County District 2 commissioner Mark Smith. “This bridge is truly symbolic in that it links our communities together.”

The bridge and surrounding landscaping cost $1,856,842 to complete. The project was funded by the county’s Surtax III program. The Surtax program was originally approved by voters in 1989 to add a 1 percent sales surtax on top of the state’s 6 percent sales tax until 1999. Surtax II was extended by voters in 1997 for the period of 1999 to 2009. Surtax III was extended by voters in 2007 until 2024, and Surtax IV was voted on in 2022, extending the program until 2039. Proceeds from the surtax can only be used to invest in public infrastructure projects such as public safety, the environment, water quality, libraries, parks, schools and roads.

“The Pinecraft community draws residents and visitors from all over," says Sarasota County commission chair Ron Cutsinger. "This was truly a collaborative effort between the community members and county staff and the Pinecraft steering committee to bring this bridge to fruition. Our grandkids’ great-grandkids, and even their children, will be walking across this bridge many years from now.”