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Bridge replacement recommences in flood-prone neighborhood
During recent storms, a one-lane, less than half-constructed bridge was the only way off an island cul-de-sac for residents in a flood-prone St. Petersburg neighborhood.
The $3.6 million project was supposed to conclude in December 2023. However, American Empire Builders (AEB) became the first contractor to default on a major municipal contract.
City council members unanimously approved dedicating another $3.25 million to finish the vastly behind-schedule bridge replacement at an Oct. 31 meeting. The embattled project is now under Lakeland-based Denson Construction’s purview.
“This has been a thorn in the side of the Tanglewood neighborhood,” said Councilmember Ed Montanari, who represents the district. “That bridge is the only access they have to the city.”
Officials awarded Miami-based AEB the bridge replacement contract in December 2021. The passage on Bayou Grande Boulevard connects the Tanglewood area with Shore Acres, the city’s lowest-lying neighborhood.
The Tanglewood bridge is nearly 75 years old. Project concerns reached a crescendo in the spring of 2023.
Island residents – Tanglewood is home to at least 96 residences – have long expressed dismay over the lack of progress and their reliance on a single, temporary lane. The mayoral administration issued the first of several deficiency notices to AEB in March 2023.
The company, unphased by the warnings, left the site in disarray. City documents note the replacement bridge is approximately 40% complete – nearly three years after AEB received its contract.
“When the contractor basically walked off the job, we were left with a half-completed bridge,” Montanari said. “There is one lane and some traffic lights. And this process … just takes a lot of time.”
Montanari was referring to the city trying to recoup some of its losses. AEB has received $1.45 million for work performed through November 2023.
After extensive negotiations, AEB’s surety bond company, which insures construction projects, will provide up to $1.16 million to help fund Denson’s new $3.25 million contract. “The city doesn’t have a whole lot of leverage when things get to the surety,” Montanari said.
“The neighborhood is very happy we’re finally moving forward on this bridge.”
Evan Birk, transportation design manager, noted the project represented the “first time the city has formally defaulted a contractor of this size and moved forward with a different contractor.” He credited St. Petersburg’s legal team for helping administrators navigate “uncharted waters.”
“We saw their trajectory, and we were trying every trick we have in the book in order to get them to do their job and complete their contract,” Birk said of AEB.
He assured the council that Denson was “fully vetted.” The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)-certified company is also a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.
Birk said city and company officials have already scheduled a pre-construction meeting. Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz said the city should assess and improve its contractual language regarding terminations.
City Attorney Jackie Kovilaritch said she already planned to update those documents. However, she warned, “Even if our contract language gave us the right to terminate, if the surety didn’t agree that was reasonable, then they wouldn’t cover it.”
A September 2023 photo of construction on St. Petersburg’s 9th St. South (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.) bridge. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is now working on a “recovery plan.” Photo: FDOT.
The new contract will not end local traffic issues caused by AEB. The company is also behind the 9th Street South (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street) bridge replacement that began in April 2021.
The FDOT awarded the AEB a $6 million contract to build a new bridge with wider lanes, sidewalks and a new drainage and street lighting system adjacent to St. Petersburg’s Campbell Park neighborhood. Construction was supposed to conclude in 2023.
The project’s website states that the FDOT is “aware of the delays and working with the contractor and their surety company on a recovery plan to complete the project in a timely manner. Thank you for your patience.”
The agency also pledged to “keep you posted on the project schedule.” Its website no longer includes an estimated completion date.
