Sunny Isles Beach Launches Multi-year, Multi-million Dollar Project in April 2016
Sunny Isles Beach, FL (PRWEB) March 31, 2016 -- Starting Sunday night, April 3, 2016 Sunny Isles Beach contractors will commence work to underground electric distribution and other utility lines along the City's major thoroughfare, State Road A1A, also known as Collins Avenue. This will require the closure of 2 southbound lanes of Collins Avenue, leaving one lane open, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. between 159 Street and the southern border of the City at Haulover Park for the first week. The project will move north from there. Visit sibfl.net for weekly closure updates.
"We understand that this project is going to inconvenience our residents and visitors for the short term, but the long term benefits will far exceed this temporary disruption," said City Manager Christopher Russo. "We have been planning this for quite some time and have contracted with experienced and knowledgeable contractors to ensure that this project runs as smoothly as any project of this magnitude can," Russo continues, "work will be performed at night to minimize the disruption to the daily lives of our residents as much as possible."
Moving electrical and telecommunications lines from overhead to underground is a huge endeavor. It takes years of planning and cost millions of dollars. The benefit is a safer city. With power lines underground, they are not susceptible to damage from storms with high winds, car accidents, falling tree branches or other mishaps. Additionally, there is an aesthetic advantage of removing unnecessary poles and cables from city streets.
In Sunny Isles Beach this project has been in the design and permitting phase and is now breaking ground. During this phase, contractors will be closing lanes of traffic to dig trenches to lay the conduit (large pipes) under Collins Avenue / State Road A1A. This work will be performed at night between 9:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. Both northbound and southbound traffic will be open but will be limited.
This phase of the project, scheduled to start in April, will last approximately one year. Work will start at the south end of the City and work north. This is the most disruptive phase of the project for the public. Residents and visitors are advised to plan their travels accordingly.
Once this phase is complete, the actual power and communication lines will be pulled through the conduit and conversion to live service can be transferred to the underground utility lines. The final phase of the Collins Avenue portion will include the removal of all unnecessary overhead poles and wires and the installation of new decorative street lighting including provisions for seasonal banners.
The final phase of this decade long project will be to underground the utilities in the Golden Shores neighborhood. This area is currently in the planning stages.
The City appreciates your patience and cooperation during this major project. For information about this construction schedule, go to the official City website at sibfl.net, watch SIBTV, or follow the City on Twitter & Instagram (@CityofSIB), or on Facebook (City of Sunny Isles Beach). For questions, please contact 305.792.1711.
Alayne Yeash, City of Sunny Isles Beach, http://www.sibfl.net, +1 (305) 792-1764, [email protected]
Share this article