Road Closures Announced For 2017 Bradenton Area River Regatta

BRADENTON, FL – The waterways and roads around the Manatee River will be packed this Saturday for the 2017 Bradenton Area River Regatta.

For people attending the event – or those wishing to travel past it – the City of Bradenton has announced road closures and other restrictions ahead of the third annual River Regatta:

• The Green Bridge (Eighth Avenue West/Business U.S. Highway 41), will close from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. The DeSoto Bridge (South Tamiami Trail/U.S. Highway 41) is the suggested route over the Manatee River.
• Bradenton road closures: Old Main Street (12th Street West) between Manatee Avenue West to Barcarrota Boulevard, Ninth Street West between Manatee Avenue West and the Green Bridge, the westbound lane of Third Avenue West between Ninth Street West and U.S. Highway 301.
• Palmetto road closures: Riverside Drive between Eighth and Ninth avenues west.

The River Regatta events are scheduled to begin with a 5K road race at 8 a.m. The first races of the regatta are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. The Green Bridge will be cleared of pedestrian traffic at 5:30 p.m. for the 6:45 p.m fireworks show.

There will be limited access on the Manatee River for boaters during the day of the event. There will be spectator boating areas on the east side of the CSX Railroad Bridge and the west side of the Green Bridge. Click here for a map showing the anchoring areas and other waterway instructions.

Drones are prohibited at the Regatta because of low-flying aircraft, water vessels and thousands of spectators. If a drone is spotted the entire vent could be shut down until law enforcement removes the drone and its operator, according to the City of Bradenton.

The city also warns against “taking” an endangered species from the Manatee River, which could result in a civil fine up to $25,000, a criminal fine up to $50,000 and/or up to one year in jail. A “take” is defined as harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, collecting or attempting to engage in such conduct.

Image courtesy of Bradenton CVB