Anna Maria officials have been discussing improvements to Pine Avenue for a while.
Now plans for Magnolia and Spring avenues are coming into focus.
Traffic engineer Gerry Traverso of St. Petersburg-based George F. Young Inc. presented a “starting point” for improvements along the parallel roadways Oct. 19 to commissioners.
The project is the second phase of plans to “reimagine” the Pine Avenue corridor.
The first phase on Pine includes installation sidewalks and the addition and enhancement of crosswalks and street lighting.
The city budgeted $1,939,634.46 for Phase 1, which will be funded with a $1,288,440 state appropriation and $283,412.96 from the U.S. American Rescue Plan.
Despite three requests for proposals over the past year, the RFPs only drew one bid at a higher price than expected, and it was rejected. The city hopes to attract additional bidders by expanding the project to Magnolia and Spring avenues.
Phase 2 involves similar improvements on Magnolia and Spring avenues funded by a $1,410,000 state appropriation.
Mayor Dan Murphy said the city needed concrete plans to secure the funding, even if they are just a starting point for feedback.
Traverso said the plan for Magnolia and Spring avenues was similar to the improvements on Pine Avenue but more straightforward due to the relative lack of commercial activity along the corridors.
“This is short and sweet,” Traverso said.
The improvements include installation of pervious concrete sidewalks along both sides of the roads, as well as the addition and enhancement of crosswalks.
The pervious sidewalks will serve the dual purpose of providing safe walkways for pedestrians where there are none now, as well as improve stormwater infiltration.
New crosswalks will be added at each intersection to improve visibility and pedestrian safety.
Between the two roadways, Magnolia, which has a Manatee County lift station near its intersection with Tarpon Street and the Center of Anna Maria Island on Magnolia, face some complications.
Traverso said the lift station location and parking at the center prevent the city from building a sidewalk along the southeast side of Magnolia since it would be unsafe to put pedestrians so close to the road.
The plans show crosswalks to pass to the other side and back, maneuvering around the lift station, but the same consideration was not made for the center sidewalk.
There is a crosswalk at the nearby intersection with Crescent Drive but there isn’t another path back to the other side until the lift station.
Commissioner Robert Kingan suggested Traverso add a crosswalk closer so people wouldn’t be discouraged from using the sidewalk.
But Commissioner Charlie Salem said the stretch along the community center is unsafe and he would like to see Traverso bring back options for improvements.
Kingan asked about adding a bicycle path down one of the two corridors.
Traverso said there is insufficient right of way to fit a bike path on Magnolia or Spring — unless they become one-way roads.
Salem said people will walk and bike in the roadway unless the city provides them an option to do otherwise. He added that Pine, Magnolia and Spring avenues “set the tone” for the rest of the city and all options should be considered.
Commission Chair Mark Short said one issue with turning Pine Avenue one-way was delivery vehicles using the residential roads. He said people might not have the same issue with one or both of the residential roads becoming one-way corridors.
Murphy said the plans were a marked improvement over the existing conditions along the roadways, and people already ride their bikes on sidewalks.
“This isn’t a panacea,” he said.
Nevertheless, Murphy added that he would return with revised plans.
Commissioner Jonathan Crane said he’s concerned about the city’s process for gathering public feedback about the project, especially from residents.
Murphy said the city would schedule workshops devoted to the subject as work progresses, so the city can gather as much feedback as possible.
For details of the work on city maps, go to Pine Avenue story at islander.org.
The commission will meet next at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.
Directions to attend via Zoom can be found at cityofannamaria.com.
