 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
DOT details design for Bayway bridge
By AMY WIMMER, Times Staff Writer ST. PETE BEACH -- In about 18 months, the Department of Transportation will start building the southern span of the new high bridge connecting St. Petersburg to its counterpart on the beach. Traffic will proceed normally on the existing drawbridge. Once the southern span is complete, both westbound and eastbound traffic will be diverted to the new southern span while the existing bridge is torn down and the new northern span is built in its place. When finished, the hotly contested new bridge will be steeper and bigger. But most important to the folks who live and work on the beaches, the bridge won't open for boat traffic. "We realized that it was going to be quite a change going from a bascule bridge to a high bridge," said Joe Hitterman, the DOT project manager for the new Pinellas Bayway bridge, "and that was one reason why we had some sensitivity to the design and landscaping." The DOT is wrapping up its design work on the bridge, which will link St. Pete Beach with Isla Del Sol and was the subject of a political battle waged across the Intracoastal Waterway. St. Pete Beach wanted a 65-foot-high fixed span that would eliminate traffic stops at the drawbridge and allow residents speedy exit during hurricanes. Isla Del Sol residents feared such a design would cut off some access to their community. The sides ultimately found a compromise. The new bridge also will feature etchings of dolphins on the approaches. At least one aspect of the bridge will remain the same: the toll plazas. Deborah Stemle, director of toll operations for the state of Florida, said her office recently decided to keep the Pinellas Bayway's toll plazas as they are. After the new bridge is complete, it still will cost 50 cents to head east on the Bayway and 50 cents to head west. The existing toll plazas will stay in place on the eastern and western ends. "They're going to stay just like they are," Stemle said. "We looked at some other tolling scenarios," which included replacing the two toll plazas with one at the east end that would perhaps charge $1 to enter the Bayway, but Stemle said the state rejected other ideas because the existing setup is fairer. If you goPeople interested in designs for the new Pinellas Bayway bridge can review the plans at a public meeting, 4-7 p.m. May 14 in the Pelican and Heron rooms at Eckerd College.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
