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Avenue C projects winding down

Avenue C projects winding down

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Avenue C residents should see drainage projects completed before summer, according to city officials.

City commissioners have approved Westra Construction’s request to extend its contract with the city by an additional 90 days. The contract is for the city-funded drainage improvements and driveway restorations taking place along Avenue C.

The new, city-funded infiltration trenches are covered with polymer, honeycombed, geogrid soil reinforcement panels and topped with 89 stone, grass, sod or some other surface material.

This is a new approach for the city of Bradenton Beach and a deviation from the past practice of topping the drainage trenches with white, lime rock 57 stone.

Avenue C projects winding down
The new drainage trenches along Avenue C feature polymer geogrid reinforcement panels. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

City Engineer Lynn Burnett said Westra requested the contract extension to help ensure the best possible transition and connection between Avenue C and the Lay-Z Liv-N condominium complex parking lot.

The county-funded Avenue C paving will complete that section of the county’s force main replacement project.

“In order to have the best finish and tightest lay-in of the geo-grid pavers in between the Lay-Z Liv-N driveway and the asphalt, they would like to do the asphalt overlay, let it cure for 30 days, then come in and saw-cut it once it’s cured, lay the pavers and that way it will be a nice clean joint and cut,” Burnett told the city commission on March 21.

Burnett said the county-funded final resurfacing of Avenue C will happen after the county does its final testing and inspection of the force main replacement project.

“I’m happy with the work and the progress that they’ve made. Hopefully, we’ll be wrapping this up in the next few weeks and couple of months,” Burnett said.

Westra is doing the city drainage and county force main projects as two separate but congruent projects.

Mayor John Chappie said he’s been impressed by the results he’s already seen when driving down Avenue C after it rains. He said the rainwater is draining off faster than it did before.

Avenue C projects winding down
This is what Avenue C, near the Lay-Z Liv-N condominiums, looked like in June 2018. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Intersection wrap-arounds

Burnett said she thinks the commission’s previous request for the city-funded drainage improvements to wrap around the Avenue C intersections can be accomplished at no additional cost.

“I just hope it fixes that ponding that’s been there for years and years. That would make people happy,” Commissioner Ralph Cole said of the drainage improvements.

Commissioner Jake Spooner asked if the geogrid will be fully covered once the pavement is fully resurfaced. Burnett said yes, but maintenance will be needed if the surface materials are removed by someone squealing their tires or some other means.

Bradenton Beach Avenue C contract

Avenue C projects approved

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City Commissioners have authorized a $302,626 contract with Westra Construction to expedite drainage improvements and rights of way and driveway restorations along Avenue C.

Minus Commissioner Randy White, who was absent, the commission unanimously approved three separate motions that will fast-track by nearly a year the Avenue C improvements.

During its Thursday, Oct. 18 meeting, the commission agreed to un-restrict $400,000 of the restricted $450,000 pier fund that had previously been set aside to self-insure the now-insured historic Bridge Street Pier.

The commission then approved the contract with Westra – the same firm that’s been working on Avenue C for much of 2018 as part of Manatee County’s force main replacement project. The release of the pier funds will provide the funds needed to do the project in fiscal year 2018-19 instead of fiscal year 2019-20. The required budget amendments needed for accounting purposes were also approved.

City Engineer Lynn Burnett said Southwest Florida Water Management District will reimburse the city $70,000 in the current fiscal year and $70,000 in the following fiscal year for the stormwater portions of the project.

The drainage improvements will include the installation of vertical infiltration trenches designed to reduce flooding by creating more space to store rainwater while it percolates downward into the freshwater aquifer.

Unlike previous infiltration trenches installed in Bradenton Beach and elsewhere on the Island, the Avenue C trenches will be filled with 57 stone, but then topped with a honeycombed, heavy-duty plastic eco-grid than can be filled with 89 stone, 250 shell mix or topped with sod, grass, brick pavers or other surface materials. Burnett told the commission the white lime rock 57 stone used for previous stormwater projects will not be visible when the work is done.

The contract also calls for Westra to restore to their previous condition the Avenue C driveway ends that they tore up during the force main replacement project.

The contract with Westra states the entire project must be completed by March 25, and Westra will be charged $1,000 for each business day after that if the project runs long. Burnett told the commission she is hopeful the project will be completed well before the contracted completion date.

The commission also authorized Burnett to provide $50,438 in design and engineering services for the Avenue C projects. That money will come from the $70,625 currently budgeted for those services.

The stormwater and drainage improvements will include the installation of more WaStop check valves that will help prevent tidal waters from flowing back into the drainage outfall pipes. And at the request of the commission, Avenue C will be graded and paved in a manner that ensures the proper flow of rainwater to the outfall pipes that empty into Sarasota Bay.

The first large-scale use of eco-grid in Bradenton Beach will also serve as a test case for stormwater and drainage projects to be planned next for Avenue B.

Related coverage

Avenue C restoration accelerated

Bradenton Beach Ave C restoration

Avenue C restoration accelerated

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners want to make stormwater and drainage improvements along Avenue C sooner rather than later. As part of that process, the commission also wants to restore, at the city’s expense, the Avenue C driveways disturbed as part of Manatee County’s force main replacement project.

During the Tuesday, Oct. 9, work meeting, commissioners tentatively agreed to accelerate these previously discussed city projects. City Engineer Lynn Burnett was authorized to bring back to the commission a proposed $302,626 contract from Westra Construction – the company hired by Manatee County to do its force main project.

In the past, the city contracted Woodruff & Sons to install the 57 stone-topped vertical infiltration trenches and alley-based drainage improvements. The original plan was to use Woodruff again for the Avenue C stormwater and drainage improvements planned for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

During last week’s work meeting, Burnett said the city could save approximately $20,000 in mobilization costs by having Westra do the job now, while still onsite finishing up the county force main project.

More importantly to Avenue C residents, Burnett said having Westra do the work would significantly reduce the time that the Avenue C driveways and city rights of way remained in an unfinished state.

Approximately 10 months ago, Westra began tearing up Avenue C and the connecting driveways and yards located in the city-owned rights of way.

The project timetable Burnett presented last week proposed the contract with Westra be executed this month, which would then allow the stormwater and drainage projects to begin in November and be completed in February. The final restoration of the Avenue C driveways and rights of ways would then occur in March and April and include the final paving of Avenue C.

The previous plan called for Westra to simply restore the impacted driveways and rights of ways with the 57-stone that would remain in place until the city’s contractor came along to do the city-funded stormwater improvements beginning in late 2019.

As part of this modified approach, Burnett proposed the new four-foot wide infiltration trenches include honeycombed, plastic eco-grids that sit atop the fine sand that replaces the muddy soil removed to create the trenches.

The eco-grid will then sit below the final surface material of the property owner’s choice. If the property owner had brick driveway pavers removed and stored as a result of the county project, those pavers will be replaced atop the eco-grid. If the driveways and rights of way were covered sod, grass, concrete, asphalt, 89 stone or 250 shell mix, those areas will be similarly restored.

Driveways not already disturbed by the force main project will not be disrupted by the stormwater project.

Previous infiltration trenches installed elsewhere in the city were topped with white, lime rock 57 stone that proved problematic in high traffic areas. Burnett said later there will be no visible lime rock associated with the Avenue C project.

During the work meeting, Mayor John Chappie and Commissioner Ralph Cole stressed the importance of the repaved Avenue C being graded in a manner that allows rainwater to properly drain toward the outfalls that empty into the bay.

The Avenue C residents who attended last week’s meeting encouraged the commission to get Avenue C fully stored as soon as possible, even if that means working through another peak tourism season.

Project funding

For the stormwater and driveway restoration projects to begin nearly a year ahead of schedule, two budget amendments have been scheduled for discussion at the commission’s regular meeting at noon on Thursday, Oct. 18.

The commission will be asked to approve a $140,161 budget amendment for the driveway restoration project and a $151,350 budget amendment for the stormwater and drainage improvements.

Before the budget amendments are voted on, the commission will be asked to release $400,000 previously set aside in the restricted pier reserve fund. On Monday, Chappie said that fund previously provided the city with self-insurance for the Bridge Street Pier that is now insured.

Southwest Florida Water Management District grants and future stormwater assessment revenue will help the city recoup the cost of these projects in future fiscal years.