The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 has awarded the SR 679 (Pinellas Bayway) Structure E Over Intracoastal Waterway Design-Build project in Pinellas County, Florida, to American Consulting Professionals, as the prime consultant, and American Bridge Company as the general contractor. This project involves the design and construction of a new two-lane high level fixed span on a new alignment, replacing the current bascule bridge. This project will improve a vital connection and hurricane evacuation route for the community of Tierra Verde and visitors to Fort De Soto Park, and it will serve as an essential, uninterrupted passage for road users, pedestrians, bicyclists, and marine traffic for its 75-year design life. The project also involves the milling and resurfacing of SR 679, installation of new LED highway and pier lighting systems, construction of retaining walls with aesthetic treatments at bridge approaches, addition of a shared-use path, replacement of the existing Tierra Verde and Boca Ciega seawalls, demolition of the existing bascule bridge, and a roundabout at the Madonna Boulevard intersection.
American Consulting Professionals, LLC is honored to be partnered with American Bridge Company and Kisinger Campo & Associates Corporation to form the American Bridge Team (AB Team). The AB Team developed various Alternative Technical Concepts, in collaboration with FDOT, to meet the goals and commitments of the project, overcome geometric challenges, and provide the best overall value to FDOT. Utility coordination, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements, environmental impacts, and public involvement will play a large role in the project.
The Tampa Bay-based team of contractors and engineers will begin design work this Summer with construction work beginning later this year.