BELLEAIR BEACH – The new Belleair Beach Causeway Bridge is on track for completion by the end of year.
Earlier estimates of completion by Dec. 17 have been pushed back due to weather-related delays. Paving and other finishing touches are being done, said Tony Horrnik, Pinellas County’s senior engineer on the project.
The bridge replacement project began in March 2007. The $72.3 million project replaces the nearly 60-year-old bridge and improves the roadway approaches and park below the bridge. The federal government paid $34 million and Penny for Pinellas paid for the rest of the project, which is on schedule and very close to being on budget, Horrnik said.
Amenities in the bridge’s park include the dog beach area, fishing pier and boat ramps, set to re-open by the end of the year. The dog beach area has a newly constructed seawall, which will prevent cars from driving on the sand. There will be approximately 30 parking spaces, which will be shaded by the bridge above them, Horrnik said.
There are new boat ramps. Parking spaces in the boat area will be 34-feet instead of 25-feet long. There will be a recreational area on the north side of the causeway for windsurfing and launching smaller craft like kayaks, Horrnik said.
The new bridge features 12-foot travel lanes, 8-foot sidewalks and 10-foot wide shoulders with designated five-foot bike lanes. The new bridge was built just north of the old one, allowing the old one to remain open during construction. The old bridge was then demolished in sections.
Johnson Bros. Inc. and Misener Marine Construction did the bridge construction, E.C. Driver & Associates Inc. provided construction engineering and inspection of the project. The project has gone extremely well with people working well together. They were very dedicated and competent, Horrnik said. The bridge received an award as one of North America’s top ten bridge projects in 2009. “Road and Bridges” magazine applauded the bridge’s construction method.
There will be an official opening ceremony of the bridge at a date to be announced.
