There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Holmes Beach motorists.
City engineer Sage Kamiya told The Islander Dec. 6 that Sarasota-based C-Squared CGC Inc. shifted traffic detours the day prior to accommodate some of the final stages of construction on long-awaited city center improvements.
The project involves improvements to drainage infrastructure and adding roadway markings, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, street lighting and landscaping to the stretch of city roadway from the intersection of Gulf and Marina drives to the 5600 block of Marina Drive.
The city hired C-Squared to complete the project for $2,753,784.55 and two additions for work in the area brought the total to $3,001,460.85.
When construction began in September, Marina Drive was closed from the 5600 block to its intersection with Gulf Drive, and motorists were redirected to a detour, including the four-way stop at Gulf Drive, Holmes Boulevard and S&S Plaza.
The change, along with an increasing number of motorists coming to the island, created a choke point that slowed the flow of traffic through the area — much to the chagrin of some island residents, who voiced their displeasure at a Nov. 15 city commission meeting.
The contractor has since completed several sections of the project, including the demolition and removal of old asphalt, installation of stormwater drainage pipes under Marina Drive, and the addition of new curbing and stretches of sidewalk, according to Kamiya.
However, much still needs to be done.
Kamiya said the remaining work involves more asphalt and finishing touches on Marina Drive, then will come the work on traffic signals, crosswalks and drainage at the intersection.
C-Squared also closed the southbound lane of Gulf Drive near its intersection with Marina Drive to begin work there.
To accommodate the additional closure, the contractor made some changes to the previous detour.
Southbound motorists on Gulf Drive or those approaching Gulf Drive from Holmes Boulevard must proceed through the intersection where Holmes Boulevard divides the S&S shopping plaza, then take 52nd Street east to reconnect to Gulf.
There were no changes for northbound motorists on Gulf Drive, who can still continue either on Gulf Drive or by turning north on Holmes Boulevard.
Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander Dec. 8 that the new detour seemed to slightly improve the previous traffic backups through the area.
He said the city had removed stop signs heading southbound at the intersection of Holmes Boulevard and 52nd Street to encourage a constant flow back to Gulf Drive.
He said the new detour is closer to the city’s original plans, which had to be changed last minute due to Manatee County’s installation of a force main along 52nd Street.
“We tried to make it less of an impact and to move the traffic along smoother,” Tokajer said. “It seems like it’s working and the project is ahead of schedule.”
Public reception to the new detour hasn’t all been positive, with several Facebook users posting negative comments or memes to the Island Ratz Unite Facebook group page since the change was announced.
However, not everyone’s a critic.
“A month ago, this was ‘paradise’ and now you are all experts in road improvements and construction! This wasn’t a surprise, there have been meetings for months on this project, where was your concern then?” Facebook user Rick Lewis commented on a Dec. 1 Ratz post about the new detour.
Kamiya said the city has received more complaints about the new detour than it had for the last.
“We’re still seeing a lot of people trying to get through a congested area that, during this time of the year, always will be. So taking away another route through there has not made things better,” Kamiya said.
He added that the detour may be “short-lived,” as the city hopes to open the northbound lane on Marina Drive soon after C-Squared finishes laying asphalt, which could be only a week or two.
After Marina Drive’s northbound lane opens, C-Squared may reopen Gulf Drive’s closed southbound lane, then close Gulf’s northbound lane after the turn onto Marina to finish construction across the intersection, according to Kamiya.
Kamiya said C-Squared was on track to open the improved Marina Drive by the end of the year.
He did not provide a timeline for the project’s total completion.
Kamiya and Tokajer asked for patience as the project grows closer to its conclusion.
“I would just remind everybody that this is work that has not been done for 70-plus years,” Kamiya said. “So, a couple of months to take care of 70 years of not working on it, is much better than the alternative of catastrophic failures.”
“Look to the end. It’ll be worth it when we get it all wrapped up,” he added.
“You can’t get a project of this magnitude done overnight,” Tokajer said. “There are a lot of factors that go into it and we want it done right.”