Bay Bridge Replacement Topic at UPA Meeting

Representatives of Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. (RS&H), the consulting firm contracted by the Florida Department of Transportation to prepare the Project Development and Environment Study for the Pensacola Bay Bridge, presented a slide show and answered questions for members of the United Peninsula Association last Thursday.

Dan Kristoff, PE, Project Manager for the PD&E study, stated, “the purpose of the study is to determine the best solution for replacement of the existing bridge and secure Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approval of the location and concept design.”

For those who were interested in discussing alternative locations for a bridge from the Fairpoint Peninsula to Pensacola, Kristoff explained that federal dollars come back to the states in a number of categories, including safety concerns.

“Replacing a failing structure does not necessarily mean going beyond that mandate,” he said.

In this case, the safety concerns must be addressed within six years to receive funding.

Kristoff did mention that representatives of the West Florida Regional Planning Council, and Florida DOT, also present, would welcome input from residents for future bridge locations.

Another guest suggested a new bridge landfall inside Gulf Islands National Seashore property. Kristoff mentioned Section 4F, the common reference to a special provision in the United States DOT Act of 1966 that stipulated that the FHWA and other DOT agencies couldn’t approve the use of land from publicly owned parks, recreational areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, or public and private historical sites unless certain conditions apply.

Although recently amended, it requires that either there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use of land from the property or the action includes all possible planning to minimize harm to the property resulting from such use.

At the time the bay bridge was constructed 50 years ago, the lifespan was 50 years. Today’s bridges are built to last 65 years or more.

Kristoff said the bridge is not in danger of collapsing because of the increased number of cars and heavier trucks crossing it.

“No,” he said. “Part of what makes the bridge obsolete is its overall structural condition, which has required that maintenance repair work be more frequently and at a greater cost.”

Other factors include its lack of modern safety provisions and bike/pedestrian access, and increasing traffic demands. Additionally, it does not meet current U.S. Coast Guard desirable navigation requirements.

Two comments heard were that the bridge would be constructed higher than the existing bridge and would include some type of bike/pedestrian access. At this time, it is not expected to be a toll facility.

The PD&E began when the notice to proceed was issued in January. In April, agency and governmental kickoff meetings were held with the Regional Transportation Organization, Cities of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, and Santa Rosa County. However, data collection had already started in March and will continue until January 2012. The engineering analysis began in June and will continue into November 2012.

The next milestone meeting will be a Corridors Public Meeting in September. That meeting and all subsequent marker meetings will be advertised in ‘Gulf Breeze News.’

At every stage of the project, RS&H is encouraging the public to take an active part in the study and let their comments and opinions become part of the record.

RS&H is reaching out to community stakeholders, homeowner associations, government agencies, special interests such as the Audubon Society, providing a Web site, newsletters and even one-on-one meetings.

DOT is establishing a Project Advisory Group (PAG) of approximately 14 people to assist the firm in securing information, capture a broad-based consensus and facilitate communications regarding the decision making process. UPA President Don Richards has been invited to be a member of this PAG.

To learn more about the project, visit www.pensacolabaybridge.com.

To learn about becoming involved with UPA, visit www.unitedpeninsula.org. The next UPA meeting is scheduled for Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m., with a location to be determined.