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Causeway bridge construction moving right along
By WAYNE AYERS
Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007 |
BELLEAIR BLUFFS – The bridge project is progressing very well and is ahead of schedule, Mayor Chris Arbutine said in introducing an update on the Belleair Beach Causeway Bridge construction at Monday night’s City Commission meeting.
A proposed seawall to protect the Harbor Club condominiums from flooding also was discussed.
Bridge project manager Tony Horrnik, Pinellas County division engineer, said that the bridge construction is now in full swing, 130 days into the 910 days that will be needed to complete the span. Estimated completion date is Sept. 29, 2009.
“We are really moving to meet the schedule,” Horrnik said. “This thing is huge,” Horrnik said, referring to the bridge’s massive size.
About 26,500 cubic yards of concrete is being used in the project, enough to fill 2,650 trucks each containing 10 cubic yards of concrete, Horrnik said.
Currently construction is beginning on the concrete shafts and columns that are in the water, and temporary lane closures are necessary during this phase as cement trucks need to use one lane of the bridge. The only way to avoid the traffic shutdown would have been through the use of a barge to transport the cement trucks, but that would have added $5 million in costs to the project, Horrnik said.
The lane closures are done Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Construction hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The new bridge will have a projected life of 75 years. Not long ago, bridges were built to last a maximum of 50 years. Horrnik predicted this bridge will surpass its estimated life.
The bridge is costing a total of $72.3 million, of which $38.3 million is being paid through Penny for Pinellas funds and $34 million is coming from a congressional allocation.
Horrnik described the bridge as “very elegant, but at the same time very economical.”
In response to a question posed by Commissioner David Shimkus, Horrnik said the dog beach would be reopened once the bridge is completed. Parking will be beneath the bridge.
Updates on the bridge construction can be obtained by calling 453-3355, or online at www. belleairbeachcauseway.com.
Seawall for condo residents not likely
Construction of a seawall requested by a group of citizens that would run from the east end of the boat ramp park to the Harbor Club condos appears doubtful. Horrnik said the proposed seawall faces environmental challenges and cost issues.
The project would require destruction and replacement of extremely environmentally sensitive coastal wetlands, Horrnik said. Wetland construction projects must show an overriding public need to gain approval.
The citizens feel that the seawall would protect the condos from flooding during a major storm, a claim some experts have questioned. Nelson Canjura of HDR Engineering said that a major hurricane could overlap the seawall, flooding lower floors of the condos.
“It is very difficult to get environmental permitting for a seawall,” Horrnik said.
The displaced wetlands would also have to be replaced, and waterfront land in the area is very costly, he added.
The seawall’s cost is estimated at anywhere from $400,000 to $1 million, Horrnik said.
Replacement land costs would be around $770,000.
The seawall construction would have to be a separate project from the bridge project, Horrnik said. All bridge funds must be used for transportation-related work, he said.
“We cannot take funds for the bridge project for an unrelated project,” he said.
Canjura termed the seawall an aesthetic issue.
“A seawall does not prevent flooding,” he said.
However, Mayor Chris Arbutine promised the condo residents that the seawall’s feasibility would be re-evaluated once the bridge project is completed. The condo association had threatened a lawsuit to stop the bridge construction over the matter, but agreed to back off if the seawall would be reconsidered by appropriate authorities.
“We’ll get with Swiftmud and the Corps of Engineers and see what we can really do here,” Arbutine said.
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Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007
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