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Belleair Beach Causeway bridge rebuilding on schedule
By DAVE SHELTON
Article published on Thursday, June 7, 2007 |
BELLEAIR BEACH – Work has continued on schedule and without incident on the $72 million rebuilding of the Belleair Beach Causeway bridge.
Project engineer Tony Horrnik said work has been completed on the temporary roadway that will be used during construction.
To date, he said, there have been few, sporadic short-time lane closures and traffic has generally flowed normally.
According to Horrnik, workers have already completed a half dozen of the spherical foundations that will form the base of the new bridge, which will be slightly north of the existing span. These poured-concrete foundations that are sunk deeply into the Intracoastal Waterway will support concrete, steel reinforced legs of the new causeway.
No complaints have been filed by nearby residents who had opposed the plans citing the noise and potential traffic hazards that would be caused during construction on the heavily traveled bridges.
Belleair Shore Mayor John A. Robertson recently said he was concerned over signage south of the town on Gulf Boulevard. He said the sign warned of lane closures that didn’t exist, but drivers were taking the warning and making dangerous U-turns to cross the Intracoastal south of Belleair Shore, in Indian Rocks Beach.
Besides starting days early on construction, Horrnik said, the contractors have had no weather delays and have been able to stay ahead of schedule.
Belleair Shore Commissioner Robert E. Hayes Jr. said in January it was unlikely the $72 million project would be finished within its scheduled 2.5 years. He said it would probably take at least three years just with routine weather delays.
Horrnik countered that the contractors have agreed to a contract in which they could be penalized up to $10,000 a-day if the project is late.
The engineer said pilot holes have been drilled to determine the safe location of foundations for the new span that will be north of the existing bridge. Much has gone into planning for the construction to minimize its effect on traffic, Horrnik said.
There will be some delays, he said, until a portion of the new span has been completed and the old bridge is torn down. He said traffic will be diverted to the new section while the old bridge is destroyed to make room for the eastbound lanes of the new span.
And, for those concerned at the loss of the county park and beaches along the causeway, Horrnik said that once construction is finished, the park will be rebuilt, with a boat ramp and all new landscaping.
The new bridge won’t have a drawbridge. Horrnik said the bridge will provide 74-feet of clearance for boats while only a 5 percent grade for cars going over it so it doesn’t have a “hump.”
Horrnik said plans call for the new causeway to have just two traffic lanes but they will be wider than the two currently available plus 10-foot shoulders on each side. He said there also will be walkways on each side of the bridge.
The existing bridge was built in 1950 and has been frequently plagued by malfunctions in its drawbridge that have tied up traffic over one of the key access routes to the area beaches.
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Article published on Thursday, June 7, 2007
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