Bridge Closure Rescheduled

Due to Tropical Storm Fay, the Belleair Beach Causeway closure planned for August 18th and 19th have been rescheduled for Monday, August 25th and Tuesday, August 26th from 8 pm until 6 am.

During this full closure, the recommended detour from the beaches to the mainland follows Gulf Blvd south to Walsingham Rd, over the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge to Indian Rocks Road, then to the north on Indian Rocks Rd to West Bay Dr. Detour signs will be in place directing traffic to alternate routes.

More Bridge Closures

The Belleair Beach Causeway Bridge will close at 8:00pm on Monday evening, August 18th, 2008 until Tuesday morning, August 19th, 2008, at 6:00am. The bridge will close again on Tuesday evening, August 19th at 8:00pm and reopen Wednesday morning, August 20, 2008 at 6:00 am. All lanes of traffic will be shut down. THERE WILL BE NO ACCESS ACROSS THE INTERCOASTAL BRIDGE!! During this full closure, the recommended traffic detour from the beaches to the mainland follows Gulf Boulevard south to Walsingham Road / State Road 686, over the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge to Indian Rocks Road, then to the north on Indian Rocks Road to West Bay Drive. Proper Detour signs will be in place prior to closure of the Belleair Beach Causeway Bridge directing traffic to these alternate routes.

Turtles May Get Legal Protection

The photo at the left shows one of several turtle nests along Belleair Beach. Hearings are scheduled for September on a law banning lights on the beach during nesting season. Belleair Beach is currently the only coastal community with no law in place. Residents are encouraged to turn off their lights, and most do. City council has already approved the ordinance, but penalties won't be enacted until after the September public hearing. Loggerhead turtle babies hatch at night and use moonlight to find the water. Artificial lighting can disorient them and lead them away from the water.