Lee County commissioners approve repairs for Estero Boulevard
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve two contracts to repair damage to sidewalks, the roadway, and pedestrian safety items along Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach that was caused by Hurricane Ian.
Hurricane Ian caused extensive damage to Estero Boulevard and sidewalks, including damage to the drainage along the center pavers of the road. The road has yet to be restored to conditions that existed before Hurricane Ian as Lee County worked with state and federal agencies to secure funding, the county announced Tuesday.
Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian. File photo by Nathan Mayberg
The contracts awarded Tuesday include an $8.4 million, low-bid contract to Wright Construction Group, Inc. for work including repairing and replacing damaged curb and gutter, sidewalk, pavement, pedestrian handrail, school flashers, flashing beacons, and pervious paver drainage.
A $1.4 million contract was awarded to Johnson Engineering LLC to perform construction engineering and inspection (CEI) Services for the project described above. The services include consulting for contract administration, inspection, and material sampling and testing.
Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka expressed concern about the drainage on Estero Boulevard and the damage done to the pervious paver drainage along the center median of Estero Boulevard. Mulicka asked Lee County Director of Public Works Rob Price if the county would be able to do more extensive work or upgrades on the drainage since the bids came in under budget, below the amount of the total federal grant and state appropriations the county has received for the work.
“That drainage has been an issue on Estero Boulevard from the beginning,” Mulicka said.
Price said the damage to Estero Boulevard and the drainage from Hurricane Ian was extensive.
“There is some pervious drainage facilities in the medians along some portions of Estero. Without us actually excavating all the pavers out and actually getting in there to see how the pipes are functioning it is impossible for us to do a damage assessment,” Price said. Price said the federal grant has approved an exploratory task for the county to ensure the drainage pipes are working which will be covered by the change order “if we need to replace any of them or switch out the stone.”
Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass asked Price about how the work would impact traffic, since the work would be starting in the middle of the tourist and snowbird season on Fort Myers Beach.
The project is partially funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program and partially through a state appropriation. The project budget and total grant funding was established as $13.7 million for both construction and construction inspection to account for any cost overruns that may be determined and approved by Florida Department of Transportation during construction.
Construction is set to begin in November.
“The project will take at least a year,” Price said. “We are are going to do everything we can to minimize the impact to the public.”
San Carlos waterfront contract
In other business, the commissioners approved a $1.168 million contract with HighSpans Engineering Inc. for the design and engineering of the San Carlos Maritime Park.
The county was awarded a state grant for the work last year to help restore shrimp boating marina dockage and operations while also constructing a bulkhead for vessel operations.
Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka said that while the original plan was to widen the marina there for public use, the new plan is for the county to install a public boat ramp at the property the county is purchasing nearby at the former Olsen Marina for $1.9 million.
“We need to continue the shrimping business in Fort Myers Beach and Lee County,” Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass said.