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New game plan for new bridge
By KATHY SAUNDERS
© St. Petersburg Times, TREASURE ISLAND -- In a race against rapid deterioration and rising costs, city officials want to revise the plans for a new Causeway Bridge. "The bridge is safe," said City Manager Chuck Coward, "but we are entering a time period when we will have to do continuous deck resurfacing to keep it so. Those are monies we could spend on replacing the bridge." Inspectors from the state Department of Transportation have downgraded the bridge from 12 to 3.3 points out of a possible 100. The state inspects the bridge annually for safety and sturdiness. "The state said they are structurally deficient and functionally obsolete," said Coward. With that news as motivation, city staffers want to rebuild the two approach bridges before replacing the main drawbridge. And they need to find about $10-million more than they expected to pay for the whole project. Coward plans to present his proposal to commissioners at a public workshop scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 120 108th Ave. The meeting will mark the end of the first phase of the planning, design and engineering study for a new bridge. The yearlong report, called the scoping study, primarily reviews the cost of a new bridge. Early estimates had put the total cost between $40- and $50-million. Coward said the more likely cost is between $50- and $60-million. "I'm not sure why that is. That is one of my main questions for the engineers," Coward said. Along with explaining those increases, engineers will discuss raising the cost of the annual toll bridge passes. Engineers also addressed environmental issues during the scoping study, which has taken about a year. One concern was that each of the three bridges that make up the Causeway system has a 10-ton weight limit. "They are deteriorating faster than we thought and we have to repair the two outside bridges to get to the center one," said Coward. "Or we would have to bring everything by barge, which can double or triple the cost." As the scoping study was winding down, Coward learned of a state program to fund transportation projects that could create more jobs and stimulate the economy. The Transportation Outreach Program funds projects based on how critically they are needed and how fast they can get started. Coward said the city's project is attractive to the program because of the condition of the bridges and the economic impact on the community if the bridges fail. "If this bridge goes down, you've just taken 3,000 tourist units off the economic corridor," said Coward, referring to the number of hotel rooms and rental units leased on Treasure Island. Coward and city commissioners have spent the past few weeks traveling the state to present their case to the members of the committee that will decide which projects get a portion of the $800-million available this year through the outreach program. Coward said he and commissioners met with five of the seven members. Treasure Island is one of approximately 200 applicants, he said. Last Friday, Coward and Mayor Leon Atkinson made a five-minute formal presentation to the seven-member committee at a district meeting in Orlando. That committee is expected to discuss ranking the projects at a meeting Oct. 26 in Tallahassee. "We're going to send a contingent just to be there (Oct. 26) both to watch them and answer any questions that may come up," Coward said. "We were told by almost everyone that we've got a very good, sound project." The city is asking for only $5.2-million from the state program, which does not fund entire projects. It also looks for projects that have a lot of local funding behind them, Coward said. The $5.2-million would be enough for the city to replace the east and west bridges within about a year. The west bridge is near the St. James Condominiums at the entrance to downtown. The east bridge is in St. Petersburg, just west of Park Street. Both approach bridges are about 300 feet long. The city has about $8-million in its Causeway Bridge fund. It expects to raise $30-million by selling municipal bonds. Coward said the city will seek $15-million in federal grants. "For a city of 7,500, that's not bad," Coward said. Public hearings about the design of a new Causeway Bridge are to begin in January. Commissioners hope to replace the bridge by 2005. Saltwater has been corroding the 64-year-old structure for years. City officials say a new, higher drawbridge will eliminate about 36,000 hours of traffic delays each year. It also will be the designated route for connecting the Pinellas Trail to the beaches.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
