Road work planned in Holmes Beach
By Lisa Neff. islander Reporter
Some Holmes Beach streets and alleys are due to get new coats.
"We're going to have 14 streets resurfaced,"Sandy Haas-Martens, chair of the city commission, said during a May 22 meeting at Holmes Beach City Hall.
The commission last week authorized the mayor to execute a $121,492.65 contract with Superior Asphalt for road resurfacing work.
Locations due for asphalt resurfacing or patchwork include:
- Marina Court from Marina Drive to the east end.
- 78th Street from Palm Drive to Gulf Drive.
- Palm Drive from 78th Street to 73rd Street.
- 74th Street from Gulf Drive to the west end.
- 64th Street from Holmes Boulevard to Marina Drive.
- 52nd Street from Gulf Drive to the west end.
- 46th Street from the 100 block to the end.
- 39th Street from Gulf Drive to the west end.
- Fourth Avenue from 39th Street to 35th Street.
- 36th Street from Gulf Drive to the west end.
- 28th Street alley from 28th Street to the south end.
- Gulf Drive, a patch at 52nd Street.
- Marina Drive, a patch in the 5400 block.
The costliest resurfacing would be the 1,154-foot stretch on Palm Drive, according to the city public works department.
"Every [street] on here is in dire straights,"Commissioner Pat Morton said, referring to the list of road work.
Haas-Martens said the asphalt crews would be "in and out"quickly.”
City officials also plan to seek bids on a project to ease traffic congestion on the southern end of Marina Drive.
Mayor Rich Bohnenberger characterized the effort as "street calming"and said the work, as well as stormwater improvements in the area, would take place this fiscal year.
"For years I've had complaints the turn lanes are not long enough,"Bohnenberger said.
The mayor and city commissioners have endorsed extending the left-hand turn lanes in the 5400 block of Marina Drive.
The "street calming"work also involves adding a sidewalk along the east side of Marina Drive near the Wachovia Bank property.
An aspect of the plan troubled Commissioner David Zaccagnino, who said the work didn't address difficulties at the crosswalk from the Wachovia Bankparking lot to the Island Shopping Center.
"We're not doing anything to make that crosswalk better. There's nothing making the crosswalk more visible,"said Zaccagnino, who said the "improvements"will likely speed up traffic, causing more trouble for pedestrians on Marina Drive.
Morton agreed that problems exist at the crosswalk. "The drivers and the walkers are not working together,"he said.
However, Morton questioned whether the city could do anything to improve the situation at a location where city right of way is tight. "You can only educate people so much,"he said.
On another road-related matter, city officials expressed their satisfaction with the Key Royale Bridge reconstruction.
The city borrowed the money to finance the $3.4 million project in anticipation of reimbursement from the state sometime this year.
Initially, there were no plans to dedicate the bridge, but Holmes Beach Mayor Rich Bohnenberger said he has received requests to dedicate the bridge to military service members and veterans.
"We're just going to have a formal ribbon-cutting at some point in the near future,"Bohnenberger said. The bridge, he said, was built for the convenience of residents and visitors, but it will also bear a bronze plaque honoring service members past and present.
It's a coincidence, Bohnenberger said, that the bridge project is wrapping up as Memorial Day approached. |