Rain, design changes and other problems delay completion of the $19-million project until Oct. 31.
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN
Published May 25, 2003
SEMINOLE - Carl Schnabl says he's faced many challenges during his 30 years in road construction.
But Schnabl says the job he's managing now - Oakhurst Road in Seminole - is at the top of the list.
"It's been the roughest job I've been on," he said Friday morning in his office, a trailer that serves as the command center for the $19-million project.
For the past 18 months, Schnabl's crews have been digging up the road, burying pipes and dealing with frustrated homeowners who can't wait to get their neighborhood back to normal.
Schnabl wants that, too: "I just want to be out of here."
A number of obstacles have prolonged the project, which was scheduled for completion this month. Working in a narrow corridor, dealing with numerous design changes and getting a lot of rain have forced a six-month extension, Schnabl said. The new finish date is Oct. 31.
On Friday morning, workers sat under cover while waiting for the sky to clear. The road was a muddy mess. Adding to the clutter: Two other contractors are working in the Oakhurst area installing distribution systems for reclaimed water.
Westra Construction Corp., the road builder, isn't being fined a late penalty because of "unforeseen" conditions, said Paul Giuliani, an engineer in the county's Public Works Department.
"That's just part of the nature of the business," Giuliani said. "You just don't know what you're going to find until you start digging."
Giuliani and Schnabl say they sympathize with residents, who long for the day when orange and white barricades, mounds of dirt, stacks of pipes, portable toilets, detour signs and bulldozers will vanish.
"I have asked so many questions they gave me the (blue)prints," said resident Frank Lo Bue, who has lived on Oakhurst Road since 1979 and is a neighborhood watchdog for the project.
Lo Bue, a retired Florida Power electrician, said that when the project started last year he warned all the workers and crew bosses not to cut down his bushes in his front yard. Now, most of them know him my name and recently invited him to share their lunch.
"All in all, it's been an interesting project," he said. "However, it's a nuisance at times. But so far they've done a very good job for the conditions."
Most of the county's road projects cost $3-million to $7-million, with some running as high as $10-million, Giuliani said. At $19-million, the Oakhurst Road project, which runs from 66th to 86th Avenue, is a huge undertaking, Giuliani said.
Not so much for its size, 2.8 miles, but for its to-do list.
"The biggest part of it was the big utility main," Giuliani said. "We had to have it operational by a certain date."
In order to meet that deadline, jobs such as widening Oakhurst's two lanes from 9 to 11 feet, installing a stormwater drainage system, building a sidewalk on the north side of the road and installing 2-foot curbs on both sides, had to wait.
And that's why the crews are back. They're almost done with burying utilities and soon will begin improving the road, Schnabl said.
During the first week of June, workers will begin laying pavement on Oakhurst between Park Boulevard and 86th Avenue. They will also install curbs, sidewalks and sod from 131st to 137th Street. Construction will proceed east on Oakhurst.
Schnabl says he appreciates how understanding most residents are, considering the circumstances. "When all is said and done," he said, "they're going to realize this is a blessing."
