 STATE MAPS SEA GRASSES UNDER BRIDGE PATH Palm Beach Post -- Friday, September 7, 2001 By: William M. Hartnett Palm Beach Post Staff Writer JENSEN BEACH -- Final touches are being put on the designs, environmental assessments are under way and the permitting process has begun. But don't start daydreaming of drawbridge-free drives across the Jensen Beach Causeway just yet. The $35 million construction project -- which includes replacing the Frank A. Wacha drawbridge with a 65-foot-high, two-lane fixed span -- isn't expected to begin until March. What's more, the work is scheduled to continue until the summer of 2004, said George Denti, the Florida Department of Transportation's project manager for the causeway. Divers from the consulting and engineering firm PBS&J this week surveyed sea grass beds in the Indian River Lagoon along the causeway. Denti said DOT engineers will use the information to update their underwater maps and, if necessary, modify construction plans. "We've taken a number of surveys and tap-danced around the heavy sea grass areas during our design," Denti said. "Obviously, we have to build the project. So we try to minimize the impact on sea grasses as much as possible." For the causeway project, Denti said that will mean doing as much construction as possible from the shore rather than on barges in the lagoon. Barges cast shadows that rob underwater vegetation of light, and the tugs that push the barges stir up sand that further clouds the water. And the tugs' propellers sometimes scratch the lagoon bottom, uprooting plants. As for the bridge itself, Denti said the shadow cast by the new, much larger structure will be smaller than that of the current span because it will be farther off the water and have far fewer supporting columns. Traffic will continue to flow over the old drawbridge during construction of the new span just a few yards to the south. Denti said the causeway project also includes a replacement for the short span just east of the main bridge. The small span west of the main bridge will be widened, but not replaced. Other improvements include new boat ramps and restrooms and a roundabout at the intersection of Causeway Boulevard and State Road A1A. Copyright (c) 2001, The Palm Beach Post |