There is a light at the end of the tunnel for Manatee County’s force main 11 replacement work in Holmes Beach.
But it’s further off than last expected.
Manatee County information outreach manager Bill Logan wrote in a Sept. 6 email to The Islander that Sarasota-based Spectrum Underground was projected to finish replacing the force main along Holmes Boulevard by January 2023.
Logan also wrote that final restorative work “may take another month or two.”
The project involves replacing 4,000 feet of 16-inch force main along Holmes Boulevard with new PVC piping and 1,100 feet of new 8-inch force main along 58th Street, which are at the end of their useful operational life.
The work also includes replacing existing water services and upsizing potable water lines along the same stretch from 2-inch and 4-inch diameters to 6-inch diameter pipes.
Replacing the aging infrastructure is projected to cost the county, which owns and operates the force main, $814,287.
Construction began in March and was slated for completion in November, according to amiprojects.io, a website that displays county construction projects on Anna Maria Island.
However, Logan wrote that Spectrum had only completed about 26% of the planned work as of Sept. 6.
“They have installed 2,500 LF (linear feet) of 16” force main, completed a directional drill across Gulf Drive, installed 138 square yards of sidewalk, and installed 40 LF of 10” water line,” Logan wrote.
“It’s a tight job site with limited right of way to work within, there is a high-water table being so close to the Gulf and the need to keep driveways and roadways open has been challenging,” he added.
Due to the extended timeline, the continuing county project will run simultaneously with the municipality’s plans to complete city center improvements.
Those plans involve new roadway markings, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, street lighting and landscaping from the intersection at Gulf and Marina drives to the 5600 block of Marina Drive.
City commissioners voted in April to approve a $2,753,784.55 contract with Sarasota-based C-Squared CGC to complete the work.
To limit impact, construction will occur in stages and the contractor will provide shifting detours to ensure continued access to impacted businesses.
The contractor also will notify businesses 10-14 days before the construction work impacts them.
City engineer Sage Kamiya told The Islander Sept. 9 that work on the city center project was set to begin Sept. 19.
Kamiya said “wow” after learning of the county’s latest projected completion date for the force main replacement.
“We were hoping they were going to be completely done before we also had to do our work,” he said.
Nevertheless, Kamiya said Spectrum’s work on the south end of Holmes Boulevard should be completed before the city’s construction plans start up so the secondary road could supplement the city’s detour plans.
Mayor Judy Titsworth told The Islander Sept. 8 she didn’t believe the lingering county project would be a major issue since the city’s detour would take motorists to Gulf Drive.
“The county and the supervisor on the Spectrum crew said they will work around us,” Titsworth said. “They do not want to hold us up. … We’re hoping it’s not going to be much of an impact at all.”
People can learn more about both the force main replacement and city center improvement projects by going online to holmesbeachfl.org.