A seven member FDOT Presentation Team presented its latest revisions for the Cow Key Channel construction to local City and County officials early Friday morning. Construction is now slated to begin in April 2020. The changes include a set plan for lane closures and a decreased time line for starting and finishing the overhaul of both bridges.
According to the presentation, provided to the Weekly by City sources, there will be two outbound lanes and one inbound lane on each bridge for all construction phrases. The two lanes will offer vital access for emergency vehicles traveling to and from Lower Keys Medical Center.
The original FDOT plan has been a “hot-button” item in recent weeks. Many local organizations and citizens voiced concerns ranging from major traffic congestion issues to the lengthy time frame of the bridge closure.
However, the original time line has now been reduced from approximately 20 months to just 370 days. According to FDOTs’ presentation, “an incentive has been added to complete the construction in 250 days (from Easter to Christmas)” – or nine months over off season.
Also, there will be Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques by using “precast beams” in hopes of expediting construction times. And last, FDOT is still analyzing a proposed idea to prohibit left hand turns onto College Road.
Here is a breakdown of the updated timeline:
100% plans submitted by January 1, 2019.
Anticipated Construction begins April 14, 2020.
Construction completed by April 2021 (note: This date reflects full contract time, minus any incentives).
For more information contact: Community Outreach Specialist Rodolfo Roman at RODOLFO.ROMAN@DOT.STATE.FL.US or # 305.470.5477
