Groundbreaking For Pedestrian Bridge & Update On $49 Million In Upper Keys County Projects

KEY LARGO – A groundbreaking ceremony will take place Wednesday to mark the upcoming construction of the new pedestrian bridge over Marvin D. Adams Waterway. This bridge will complete the U.S. 1 Bayside Shared Use Path, which stretches from approximately mile marker 99 to 106 and provides a safe, paved route for people to walk, run and bike.

The pedestrian bridge is part of $49 million in construction and road projects that are underway or have been completed in the Upper Keys since 2012, when the one-cent infrastructure surtax was extended with the support of 68 percent of the voters in Monroe County.

Members of the media, and the public, are invited. The groundbreaking will be attended by Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy, who represents the Upper Keys; Gus Pego, District 6 Secretary for FDOT; Patricia Ivey, project administrator for FDOT; Ernie Brown with Douglas N. Higgins, Cameron Tony Gonzales with American Empire Builders; Roman Gastesti, County Administrator; Kevin Wilson, Monroe County Assistant County Administrator; Judith Clarke, Monroe County Director of Engineering Services; Debra London, Monroe County Engineering Department Project Manager; and John Glista, Monroe County Upper Keys Supervisor of Roads & Bridges.  They will be available to answer questions about the pedestrian bridge project, as well as the other county construction and road projects underway or in the works in Key Largo, Tavernier and Plantation Key.

The pedestrian bridge costs $1.18 million. A Florida Depart of Transportation (FDOT) Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant is funding $475,000 of the project. The remainder is being funded by impact fees and infrastructure sales tax revenues. Construction is being done by Douglas N. Higgins, Inc. and American Empire Builders. It is scheduled to start in the spring and will take about a year to complete.

Other Upper Keys county projects include: renovation of Card Sound Toll Bridge; purchase of Rowell’s Marina and the creation of a rest area on the site; construction of a new Plantation Key courthouse and jail; and improvements and construction of a boat ramp at Harry Harris Park.

There also are several road paving and drainage projects underway.  The BOCC last week approved an amendment to pay EAC Consulting, Inc. $27,240 for engineering design and permitting services to adapt the Lake Surprise Estates project for sea level rise projections based on 2015 tidal data. It’s the county’s first road project that is being designed to specifically adapt to the effects of climate change.

In addition, paving and drainage projects are underway at Sexton Cove and Grouper Lane to alleviate flooding.

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