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Bridge work is no walk on the beach

But the new pedestrian bridge will make walking and biking to Clearwater Beach easier in about eight months.

By DEMORRIS A. LEE, Times Staff Writer
Published November 2, 2007

Workers prepare a crane Monday for work on the pedestrian bridge that will cross the Mandalay Channel and link to the 11-mile Ream Wilson Trail. Share your photos and get the latest on beach news and events: Tampabay.com Beach Guide
	[Jim Damaske | Times]

CLEARWATER - After years of planning, construction on a pedestrian bridge connecting the western end of the Memorial Causeway to Clearwater Beach is under way.

Work began two weeks ago on the 300-foot bridge, which will span the Mandalay Channel just south of the fishing pier.

When complete, the bridge will provide safe passage for an estimated 5,000 pedestrians and cyclists a week. Currently, those people use two cramped sidewalks on either side of the causeway's bridge, which is crossed by thousands of cars and trucks a day.

The bridge will be the westernmost link in the 11-mile Ream Wilson Trail, which eventually will stretch from Safety Harbor past the Long Center all the way to Clearwater Beach.

"The whole trail system in the city will connect and this will be the pedestrian link to go across to the beach," said Mike Quillen, Clearwater's director of engineering. "Right now, there isn't one for pedestrians."

The bridge will have a boat clearance of 13 feet, 6 inches. At 15 feet wide, it also will be able to handle ambulances and police cruisers in an emergency.

At one point, city officials had discussed building a mini version of the Sunshine Skyway with a cable-supported design. But rising construction costs forced them to choose a more modest design.

American Bridge Corp. of Orlando will build the bridge. The company's bid came in at $2.5-million, a half-million dollars under the projected $3-million cost. The work should be completed in eight months, Quillen said.

[Last modified November 1, 2007, 23:14:07]