Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

But what about Gulf Blvd. flooding?

The town scrambles for $11-million to salvage original road plans.

By SHEILA MULLANES ESTRADA, Times Staff Writer
Published October 24, 2007

INDIAN SHORES

Despite county approval of a $26.5-million road improvement and reclaimed-water project here, town officials say the funding isn't enough to cover the crucial need for flood prevention.

Key to the project was an extensive drainage system to keep the road from flooding. The plan also included full curbs and sidewalks for pedestrians.

"We are disappointed and worried about pedestrian safety," Indian Shores Mayor Jim Lawrence said.

The Gulf Boulevard plans were approved by the County Commission last week, and a "notice to proceed" was issued by the state Department of Transportation on Friday.

The project involves a 3-mile section of Gulf Boulevard between Park Boulevard and Walsingham Road in Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach.

The downsized project approved by the county eliminates most of the drainage system and provides only a designated bicycle path and pedestrian walkway separated from traffic by a different road surface, painted lines and reflective markers.

Town officials now have less than 60 days to find an extra $11-million to restore the original project design.

"Striped pedestrian walkways are not as safe as curbs and sidewalks," Lawrence said. "We were hoping for some kind of delay from DOT to give us time to find the money."

City officials are also concerned that the pervious asphalt planned for the bicycle and pedestrian areas will quickly clog with sand and won't provide even minimal drainage for the road during rainstorms.

Sharply rising construction costs and extremely tight state and county budgets forced the DOT to abandon the original road design.

Also apparently abandoned is any serious discussion of putting utility lines underground and installing landscaping and special lighting along all of Gulf Boulevard.

The project was proposed by the county several years ago, and about $34-million in Penny for Pinellas money was set aside, to be augmented by the beach cities.

Costs for the beautification project have since soared and according to some estimates are approaching $200-million.

Indian Shores and part of Sand Key are the only areas of Gulf Boulevard where utility lines are underground.

North Redington Beach and Redington Shores put utility lines underground on their interior streets.

"Our undergrounding project will be finished by Thanksgiving and when the road is done, it's not going to look exactly like the original beautification plan, but people will get a good picture of what county originally envisioned," Lawrence said.

In the past several months, he and other local officials have "begged" the DOT, the governor, the state Legislature and even a local congressman for the money needed to restore the original road project design, to no avail.

"If the cities can find the extra $11-million in the next two months, we would be happy to go back to the original design," said Mike Sweet, director of engineering for the county's utility department.

In the meantime, the county and DOT are moving ahead with planning for the revised design and will hold a meeting within the next month to outline construction plans and schedules for the public.

Once construction begins, the contractor has up to 22 months to complete the project. Traffic will remain open but intermittently restricted to one lane during that time, Sweet said.

"We will be very diligent about keeping citizens up to date about what we are doing and in facilitating traffic flow," he said.

Sweet said the construction will actually take less time than the original design called for - three years.

The project includes installing reclaimed-water lines, remilling and resurfacing Gulf Boulevard, moving some sewer force mains, repairing seawalls along the Narrows and putting in some landscaping.

"When we are done, this will be a significantly improved road with significantly improved drainage over what is there now," Sweet said.

[Last modified October 24, 2007, 00:08:46]