October 15, 2002

      RE:      Design Public Workshop

                   S.R. 682 (Pinellas Bayway) from the West Toll Plaza to West of S.R. 679      

                               Pinellas County

       Financial Project ID: 256903 1 32 02

Dear Interested Citizen:

Thank you for attending the Design Public Workshop for the Pinellas Bayway Bridge Replacement Project held at Eckerd College on May 14, 2002. We have received and reviewed a total of 106 comments from citizens who are interested in the project.  Many of the comments we received expressed similar concerns.  In order to address these concerns we are providing the following responses to the most frequently received comments.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) sponsored the formation of the Bayway Bridge Beautification Committee (BBBC). This committee consisted of representatives from each of the affected Homeowner, Condominium, and Neighborhood Associations. The St. Pete Beach Chamber of Commerce and the cities of St. Pete Beach and St. Petersburg also had representatives on the committee.  This committee recommended architectural, landscaping, and lighting features to make the bridge and approaches aesthetically pleasing.

Multi-Use Trail Location and Safety

There were numerous comments as to the location of the multi-use trail. It was decided to place the multi-use trail along the south side of the bridge for the following reasons:

á       The majority of the BBBC committee agreed on the pedestrian trail location.

á       The committee judged that the view from the south side of the bridge would be more aesthetically pleasing.

á       Placing the trail along the south side of the bridge would preclude trail users from having to cross the intersection of S.R. 679/682 for accessing the future multi-use trail to Fort DeSoto Park.

Additionally, the trail on the bridge is being designed to meet the requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Therefore, landings and appropriate handrails will be installed on the bridge where grades are steeper than five percent.

Visual Impacts

The bridge is being constructed in accordance with United States Coast Guard standards and must conform to minimal vertical and horizontal clearance requirements for new fixed bridge construction. 

Citizens are concerned about losing their privacy with trail users on the south being too close to certain residences.  Currently there is a walkway on the south side of the existing bridge.  While the multi-use trail on the new bridge will be closer to Vina del Mar, there will still be a distance of over 200-feet from the trail to the nearest residence.

Concerns were also expressed regarding the bridge lighting being too bright for residents adjacent to the bridge.  It was determined, with the exception of pier uplighting, that the new bridge roadway lighting will be comparable to the existing light condition. The bridge roadway lighting will be placed near the center of the bridge, and the pedestrian lighting will be embedded behind the concrete barrier wall to minimize light spillage over from the bridge.  The pier uplighting selected by the BBBC is to be of a low-level lighting.

Navigational Impacts

Comments were received from people concerned about the width of the replacement bridge.  The bridge will extend approximately 67-feet from the southern edge of the existing bridge.  The concern is that navigation will be inhibited for boaters utilizing the channel from the Pass-A-Grille Yacht Club to and from the Intracoastal Waterway channel.  Analysis of the depths and widths found that the navigational width from the southern edge of the new bridge to the closest structure on the south is approximately 160-feet. Within this area the bottom depths range from 10.5 to 15-feet. These widths and depths exceed the navigational requirements of the Intracoastal Waterway. Consequently, the FDOT has determined that the replacement bridge will not substantially affect or impede navigation of the Yacht Club channel.

Roadway Safety

Various comments were received suggesting improvements be made beyond the limits of the Bayway Bridge replacement project. These comments have been forwarded to the appropriate FDOT department for consideration.

The comments received that were directly related to the replacement project included topics of speeding vehicles, the need for a traffic signal at the intersection of S.R. 682 and Bahia del Mar/Sun Boulevard, signage for Sunpass users, and continuation of the golf cart path under the eastern end of the bridge.

Speeding vehicles and the ability to control drivers who travel over the posted speed limit is beyond the FDOTŐs jurisdiction.  Enforcement of the speed limit is delegated to the law enforcement agencies.

Presently, a traffic signal is not warranted at the S.R. 682 and Bahia del Mar/Sun Boulevard intersection. However, upon completion of the Bayway Bridge replacement project, the FDOT will monitor the operating conditions at this intersection.

The bridge and roadway approaches are being designed in accordance with FDOT Standards and Specifications and meet all safety design requirements for this project.  These requirements include signing specifications for the toll facility.

The golf cart path will be kept as part of the new replacement bridge.  Access to the multiple use-trail for residents located along the north side of the roadway will be available under the last span of the bridge.

Noise Impacts           

Noise studies were conducted for this project to predict future traffic noise levels.  The noise level is predicted to range from 57.5 decibels to 64.8 decibels. These predicted noise levels are approximately 2.3 decibels to 4.5 decibels lower than the existing condition. The predicted noise levels do not exceed the Federal Highway AdministrationŐs Noise Abatement criteria of 67 decibels; consequently, no noise abatement measures are required in the current design of this project.

Considerations for noise abatement during construction activities are as follows:

The contractor will be limited to construction activities from Monday through Saturday and normally only during daylight hours, unless written permission is obtained from the construction engineer.

In addition, other noise abatement measures include:

á       The contractor shall not work on Sundays or legal holidays except to protect the health and safety of the public or by written permission from the construction engineer.

á       The contractor shall ensure the noise created from hauling operations is kept to a minimum.

á       Pile driving activities will only be performed between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

To minimize noise associated with setting bridge pilings, the contractor shall jet the pilings to the maximum extent possible to minimize the noise and vibrations generated by pile driving activities.

Drilled-Shafts vs. Piling - Type of Foundation

The FDOT reviewed concerns regarding noise and vibration impacts on structures adjacent to the project. The result of the review to use drilled-shaft foundations was that the extremely sandy geology associated with the project area was not amenable for the application of the drilled-shaft technique and would be very costly. Additionally, given the diameter of the drilled-shafts and depth of excavation, up to 130-feet, the vibration/settlement analysis found that this construction technique causes vibrations similar to vibrations from the pile driving operation.

Consequently, the driven pile foundation was adopted.  This foundation type was substantially less expensive than the drilled shafts.

Moveable Bridge

A moveable bridge concept and the possible widening of the existing structure were a couple of the alternatives considered. However, for the following reasons these alternatives were not considered to be the most viable choice:

á       Will create traffic delays because of the need to open the bridge to allow vessels to navigate the waterway.