Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
In Holmes Beach, it’s the only option.
Manatee County project manager Brett Gocka told The Islander Nov. 23 that completion of the county’s force main replacement project on Holmes Boulevard by Sarasota-based Spectrum Underground has been pushed to April 2023.
The project was initially projected to end in November but, in September, the target was pushed to January 2023, due in part to Hurricane Ian and complications with Holmes Beach’s city center construction project.
The project involves replacing 4,000 feet of 16-inch PVC force main lines along Holmes Boulevard and 1,100 feet of 8-inch lines along 58th Street.
Work also involves replacing water services and upsizing potable water lines from 2- and 4-inch diameter lines to 6-inch diameter pipes.
Replacing the infrastructure is projected to cost the county, which owns and operates the water service, $3,618,672.10.
The city center project involves new bicycle lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, street lighting and landscaping from the intersection at Gulf and Marina drives to the 5600 block of Marina Drive.
Work on the city center project has closed Marina Drive where it runs parallel to Holmes Boulevard, so northbound motorists either must continue north on Gulf Drive or detour at Holmes Boulevard.
The city center project is projected for completion by the end of this year.
But Gocka said Spectrum still had several projects to undertake, including restoration work and the installation of 16-inch force mains at Holmes Boulevard running under Gulf Drive to 52nd Street.
He said that construction would require a road closure to complete and Spectrum may work nights in order to keep traffic flowing during the day.
Gocka said the contractor also needs to close a section of Holmes Boulevard between Gulf Drive and 54th Street for installation.
However, the county’s plans for night construction and road closures have yet to be finalized or approved by the city, according to Gocka.
“We’re trying to come up with ways that they can do their work and we can do our work,” Gocka said. “We think we have an idea moving forward, but it’s kind of dynamic at this point.”
“It’s a little tricky,” he added.
Nevertheless, Gocka said the county projects Spectrum to install all force main pipelines by March 2023, and then begin restorative work, which could take about a month.
People can learn more about the force main replacement project at amiprojects.io.
