COQUINA BEACH – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One is conducting a Project Development and Environmental Study (PD&E) for the heavily-traveled and often congested SR 789 bridge from North Shore Road to the Coquina Beach Park entrance.
A public meeting was held at the Harbourside Ballroom in Longboat Key on Tuesday, March 16 to begin discussion and present material showcasing multiple options for the potential project.
FDOT officials made it clear that throughout the process they would consider a “no-build” option. If the “build” option were to be the result of the study, the project would move to the design phase, and construction plans would then be prepared.
Key factors that must be evaluated when deciding how, when, or if the project will move forward include safety needs, additional right-of-way, traffic performance, and environmental impacts the project could have on this very eco-sensitive area.
The project process has six main components:
- Planning – Identifying local multi-modal goals.
- PD&E Study – Documenting the need for the project, developing alternatives to meet needs, and evaluating social, natural, cultural and physical impacts.
- Design – Conduct land surveys, prepare construction plans, and identify right-of-way requirements.
- Right-of-Way – Acquiring right-of-way and providing relocation assistance.
- Construction – Construction of the project, and inspection of construction materials.
- Maintenance – Maintaining the facility throughout its design life.
The development and analysis phase of the project will take some time. After all impacts and alternatives are thoroughly analyzed, another tentative public meeting will be held in March 2022 to finalize the recommended alternative, followed by a tentative March 2023 public hearing to finalize engineering and environmental reports. If all goes as planned, Location and Design Concept Acceptance is slated for October 2023.
Funding is not yet secured for any phase of this project. Projected funding has been proposed as a four fiscal year program (2021-2025) beginning with the PD&E phase which is currently ongoing, followed by design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction phases which are currently not funded.
