Structural Support in Marco Island

01/02/06

The City of Marco Island, Florida, was so pleased with TBE’s design of its Barfield Bridge that when city council members decided its East Winterberry Drive Bridge needed replacement, they once again turned to TBE.

The Winterberry Bridge, part of the city’s evacuation route, has experienced much deterioration during its 30 years of service. Already declared obsolete, the bridge was determined to be a serious safety risk. Stabilization efforts did little more than produce temporary relief. So in the spring of 2005, city officials declared the bridge’s condition an emergency and gave its replacement the highest priority. (With replacement already scheduled, the bridge suffered further damage as a result of Hurricane Wilma, and on October 25, the Florida Department of Transportation [FDOT] lowered its category from “functionally obsolete” to “structurally deficient.”)

The city requested that the new bridge be designed, permitted and contracted for construction by February 1, 2006. TBE met with city officials and developed a work plan to meet the city’s priority needs and deadlines. Based on the plan, the city awarded a sole source contract to TBE.