A path for the new subaqueous water main to Anna Maria Island is underway.
According to a Jan. 26 project update published by Manatee County, Loxahatchee-based DBE Management has begun drilling an underground pathway across the Intracoastal Waterway for the pipeline, which will run under Anna Maria Sound along the north side of Manatee Avenue.
A previous water main ran along the underside of the AMI Bridge, but collapsed into the Sound in 2023 when hangers attaching it to the bridge failed.
The county had a temporary pipeline built to restore water access to the island, but its position along the west-half of the bridge’s southern sidewalk has kept the walkway closed for almost three years.
Last year, the county hired DBE to build a new water main for $4,167,216.74.
The contractor began work on the project last December and, by January, had started boring east from a staging area at the Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach.
The drill must run 24/7 to keep the pathway clear, resulting in continuous noise impacts.
According to the county’s update, that work may result in the temporary closure of Kingfish and a secondary entrance to the Compass Hotel at Floridays restaurant — at the east end of the designated project area — in February.
When DBE finishes drilling the tunnel under the Intracoastal Waterway, the contractor will install the new pipeline by pulling it back through the hole from east to west.
The new water main will then be tested, tied into existing utilities and made operational.
At that point, the contractor will begin removing the existing temporary pipeline from the bridge. That work, which is scheduled for summer, will temporarily impact Manatee Avenue traffic.
For more information, visit www.amiproject.io, call 941-306-4660 or email info@amiprojects.io.