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Officials not pleased with John's Pass bridge plans
By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA MADEIRA BEACH -- The new bridge crossing John's Pass will be 21 feet high if the state Department of Transportation has anything to say about it, and the DOT usually does. The bridge would be built in the same "footprint" as the existing span and would not require the relocation of any businesses or residences. Neighbors who feared losing their property greeted the news with applause at the Thursday night meeting. They also had feared that a higher span would result in an "Interstate effect" that would discourage travelers from stopping at John's Pass Village or other local businesses. Treasure Island and Madeira Beach officials, meeting in a joint workshop, were not happy. They wanted a span at least 29 feet high which they believe would reduce the number of bridge openings. Either height could be constructed in the same footprint, according to DOT officials, but the higher bridge would cost another $10-million with little additional benefit. The estimated price for the 21-foot-high bridge is $50-million. "We've looked at all the factors and the data stream demonstrates you don't get a significant value from bridge operations when you go from 21 to 29 feet," said Kenneth Hartmann, DOT district secretary. "In fact, anything up to 39 feet doesn't change the (bridge opening) conditions that exist." A 39-foot option was investigated and then discarded as an option, according to DOT consultant and project manager John Romero. He said that according to peak traffic studies the higher bridge would reduce bridge openings by one-third during peak weekend hours but even that improvement did not justify the doubled cost. "If it costs another $10-million, we don't particularly care. We pay into these taxes and we ought to get the maximum for our tax dollars," said Treasure Island Commissioner Butch Elsworth. "We live here. You don't. And we do see a value (for the 29-foot bridge)." Both city commissions favored the higher bridge in a straw poll. They plan to take a formal vote before a DOT public hearing tentatively scheduled for May. But city officials were frustrated that their preference appeared to be of little significance to the DOT. "It doesn't seem to me that anything we can say is going to change your mind for a 21-foot bridge," said Madeira Beach Mayor Tom DeCesare, who argued that it was "plain simple logic" that a span 8 feet higher would result in fewer bridge openings. "To be candid, I don't see changing my mind. $10-million is another project somewhere that we could fund," said Hartmann, who later added, "If you have $10-million, we can talk." The new bridge will be financed by DOT, unlike the proposed new Treasure Island Causeway bridge, which will be largely financed by that city. Hartmann argued that DOT cannot spend an additional $10-million on a project unless it can justify the expense. The cities' belief that a slightly higher bridge would mean less bridge openings was not backed up by DOT's research data, he said. The John's Pass bridge, currently 22 feet high, is the only Pinellas drawbridge required to open on demand because the channel beneath is too turbulent for boats to wait. Whatever bridge height is decided, DOT is planning to widen the channel from 60 feet to about 100 feet, which should allow two-way boat traffic. Hartmann promised to work closely with both cities to develop a pleasing aesthetic design for the new bridge, which will have four 11-foot lanes of traffic, two 10-foot bicycle lanes, and two 8-foot-wide pedestrian walkways. Construction is expected to begin in 2004 or 2005 and would take up to three years.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
