The City Council awarded a $16.3 million construction contract for Phases II, III and IV of Beach Walk at their December 14 meeting. The contract was awarded to David Nelson Construction Company of Palm Harbor, Fla. The last three phases include relocating Gulfview Boulevard, constructing wide promenades on the east and west sides of the new road, restoring dunes, and adding decorative touches. All work is expected to be complete by mid-2009.
Meanwhile, work continues on Phase I of Beach Walk. The road crew has moved south of Fifth Street and is preparing the roadway stabilization and base course. They have been grading sidewalks between Fifth and Third streets. The 16-inch water main installation started on Hamden Drive at the Gulfview Boulevard intersection. Crews will move into Gulfview with this water main next week. Hamden is closed at Gulfview right now, but will reopen when the installation moves out into Gulfview. After the installation is complete, they will need to close Hamden again to complete the missing link of the 16-inch water main between the Hamden/Gulfview intersection and where they left off at the Hamden/Coronado intersection.
The Department of Environmental Protection required a storm structure called a Nutrient Separating Baffle Box and it is going in at the southwest corner of Second Street and Coronado Drive. Work continues on the remaining link of the sanitary line between the northeast corner of Devon and the existing sanitary structure in the middle of Coronado and Devon.
The next Beach Walk Hard Hat meeting will be 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Clearwater Beach Recreation Center, 69 Bay Esplanade. This meeting was changed to the third Tuesday of the month. If you have questions about the meeting, call 562-4024.
For more information about Beach Walk, visit www.myclearwater.com/beachwalk.