TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — A nearly 100-year-old drawbridge has long been a hassle for drivers in northern Pinellas County. 

With funding now in place, plans are moving forward to replace the Beckett Bridge in Tarpon Springs.

From their dock, Lisa and Robert Faison have seen the bridge deteriorate with time and their slice of paradise in Tarpon Springs change.

They have been in their home for 28 years and say the bridge is showing its age.

“Once the bridge goes up, sometimes it doesn’t come back down," Robert Faison said. "So they have to close the road."

While it's a manned drawbridge, they say you have to call and set an appointment to have it opened. And walking along the bridge's tight sidewalks that are only a few feet wide isn't for the faint of heart.

“We walk our dogs across there, and there’s been a few times that are really scary, especially with the bigger trucks," Lisa Faison said.

(Renderings courtesy Pinellas County)

The county first held a public hearing on the Beckett Bridge more than 11 years ago. In 2016, the first design concepts were released.

Then, the talk of future plans went quiet.

“I just plea to the county officials, you have to be able to communicate with homeowners who will be impacted by this construction," Robert Faison said.

Plans to build a new bridge are finally moving forward.

Pinellas County released renderings that include two 10-foot wide travel lanes and six-and-a-half foot shoulders on each side. The bridge will keep its single-leaf drawbridge design but be 19 feet wider than before. It will also be taller, with 7.8 feet of vertical clearance for boats.

The Faisons say their worry now is the low lying roads like nearby Whitcomb Boulevard that will be used a detour while the bridge is getting replaced.

“Even when we have a high tide that road floods," Robert Faison said. "So that’s really where the traffic is going to be when they close this down for construction of the bridge, and that road is not going to be able to handle the volume.” 

Pinellas County commissioners approved $3.7 million in state funding earlier this year, which will help kick start the project.

Before bridge construction can begin, relocation of pipes and supplementary work must be completed by the city of Tarpon Springs.

That could start later this calendar year.