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Harbour Island Bridge to close for five months starting in July

 
Published June 27, 2015

TAMPA — The Harbour Island Bridge, one of two passages out of the downtown waterfront neighborhood, will close to cars next Monday for a five-month, $1.2 million repair project.

Repairs to South Harbour Island Boulevard from the end of the bridge to Knights Run Avenue will begin July 6 at 7 a.m., according to a letter to Harbour Island residents. The bridge is expected to reopen in December. In the meantime, drivers entering and exiting Harbour Island will have to use South Beneficial Drive.

City spokeswoman Ali Glisson said in an email that Tampa-based concrete company Restocon will remove a concrete slab from part of the road, waterproof the bridge, replace the concrete road surface and do other concrete repairs.

Glisson said the City of Tampa will cover the roadwork and concrete repair portion of the project — about $715,000 — and the Harbor Island Community Services Association will pay for the waterproof membrane, about $493,000. She said the city-association partnership is the result of a lawsuit over the project.

The Harbour Island Bridge's pedestrian walkways will close at the start of the project, Glisson said, but will be open for the rest of it.

The letter to residents said HICSA hired an engineer to handle traffic flow issues when work starts. The timing of traffic lights at Beneficial Drive and Channelside Drive may change, and a left turn signal might be installed.

Contact Emily McConville at (813) 226-3374 or emcconville@tampabay.com. Follow @emmcconville