East Treasure Island Causeway To Close For Streetlight Installation

TREASURE ISLAND, FL — On June 17 and 18, the inside westbound lane of the East Treasure Island Causeway will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to begin the installation of new streetlights in the median by a Duke Energy contractor. Road cones will be removed at 5 p.m. each day.

The East Causeway has been reconstructed to improve roadway and drainage conditions. The city was awarded a state appropriation of $1.2 million and a water quality grant from the Southwest Water Management District of $275,250.

A construction contract was awarded to Keystone Excavators Inc. in June 2021 in the amount of $2,396,700 for the project. The project got a late start due to difficulties in material procurement, but, as of June 2, the project is substantially complete.

The roadway will be re-striped the week of June 13 (weather permitting) to complete the roadway and drainage portion of the project. The re-striping process will result in approximately three days of intermittent traffic delays.

Remaining work will include the replacement/undergrounding of the streetlights by Duke Energy, tentatively scheduled for later June. Following the streetlight replacement with decorative poles, the city's landscaping contractor will re-landscape the East Causeway medians with additional medjool palms, coontie, muhly grass and day lilies.

Stormwater Improvements

The stormwater aspect of the project received funding from the Southwest Florida Water Management district due to the water quality improvements to the bay.

Traditional stormwater infrastructure merely pipes and conveys runoff to an outfall. In this project, gently sloped depressional areas, called bioswales, have been constructed along the outer edges of the roadway to allow rainwater to flow off the driving surface and naturally percolate into to recharge the groundwater table.

The bioswales will retain the “first flush” of stormwater collected during the beginning of a storm which contain the highest concentration of pollutants and debris. This water will be retained within the bioswales and allowed to infiltrate over a 72-hour period, then any remaining stormwater will flow to Boca Ciega Bay through existing and newly constructed conveyance pipes.

The bioswales have also been planted with Florida-friendly and native vegetation that assist in stormwater nutrient removal to improve the quality of water that is discharged to Boca Ciega Bay.

Pedestrian Improvements

Pedestrian improvements have been made at the intersection of 79th Street. Here, curb ramps with detectable warning surfaces have been installed at each corner of the intersection to comply with current accessibility standards.

The current crosswalk locations have been re-striped and rapid flashing beacons will be installed at the intersection prior to the east bridge. This eastern pedestrian crossing will also be improved to current standards.

Beautification

In an effort to beautify the corridor and to assist with nutrient uptake from collected stormwater, Florida-friendly landscaping has been provided within the bioswales.

Upon completion of the roadway and drainage improvements, the median will be re-landscaped and the lighting will be changed out to provide decorative poles as seen on the western side of the causeway.

The fences along the east causeway are privately owned by St. Petersburg residents and are not proposed to be addressed within the scope of this roadway and stormwater improvements project.