BRADENTON BEACH – Almost the entire Coquina Beach parking lot is now available to beachgoers, including those visiting the beach during the extended Fourth of July weekend.
The second phase of Manatee County’s long-running drainage and parking lot improvement project is now in its final stage, with the remaining work taking place in the overflow parking area being created north of the picnic pavilion area.
According to Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan, all the Coquina Beach parking spaces are now open except for the overflow area, which he said is expected to be completed by the end of July.
“That is the last and final parking and drainage improvement,” Logan said of the final work taking place.
Formerly comprised of shell and sand, the Coquina Beach parking spaces are now paved with permeable concrete which contains gaps that allow water to drain down through the pavement and into the new drainage elements below.
A visit to the Coquina Beach parking lot on June 27 indicated that, with the exception of the overflow area, the entire parking lot was finished and available for parking.
The Coquina Beach drainage project started at the south end of the beach parking lot in May 2019 and included the removal of approximately 100 Australian Pine trees. County staff said the trees needed to be removed in part because their expansive root systems would hinder the drainage and paving improvements. As the second phase of the project moved north, approximately 87 more Australian pines were removed. Although many Australian Pines were removed, many still remain in place, including those along the recreational trail between the parking lot and the beach.
When the county commission approved the phase two plans and tree removals in 2020, the estimated phase one cost was $3.36 million and the estimated phase two cost was $3.62 million.
