Add some minutes to the travel time in Bradenton Beach in 2023.
Construction of a new gravity sewer system is on tap to impact traffic conditions in the city for up to 18 months.
Manatee County’s public information officer, Bill Logan, shared details Dec. 12 of the project that is set for completion in July 2024.
The county next month will begin the work, which includes the replacement of gravity sewer lines — conduits utilizing the energy resulting from a difference in elevation to remove unwanted water or sewage — from Sixth Street South to 13th Street South.
The county hired a contractor to complete the work, which is expected to cost $8,101,504.
The project entails relocating infrastructure from private property to public rights of way, digging trenches along Gulf Drive and on side streets to connect the main line to residential lines from Sixth Street South to 13th Street South.
Parking will become an issue, as portions of the Cortez Beach lot will be converted to provide detour lanes for north- and southbound traffic to give construction crews access to Gulf Drive.
Other parking places along Cortez Beach will be used for construction staging — machines and materials — as well as alternate parking spaces for residents on the side streets, who will not have access to the roads during construction.
Contributing to the parking crunch is an ongoing project at Coquina Beach. The sewer work will begin before the March 2023 completion of the Coquina parking lot remodel that began in 2019.
Bradenton Beach Police Chief John Cosby said Dec. 15 there is no way around doing the project.
“It has to happen, the system is old,” Cosby said. “Better to do it before it fails.”
Cosby voiced concern for those who live on the side streets.
“They are not going to have access to the road,” he said. “My concern is for the elderly or handicapped who live along those roads. It’s going to be quite a trek.”
Cosby said the trenching across Gulf Drive and down the side streets most likely will occur in March or April.
“We’ve had some discussion about trams and some other things,” the chief said.
He continued, “After the first of the year, I am going to have some of my officers do a door-to-door down each of those streets so we can plan accordingly to figure out a way to help them get to and from their residences to their cars.”
The county also plans to hold a public outreach meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
Logan told The Islander: “Work will begin after the January meeting but we anticipate the construction starting before the end of January.”