Sarasota County cleans Siesta sewers

The start of fall is generally slow on Siesta Key, as tourist numbers taper off and snowbirds trickle back to their part-time residences.

But, the underground of the barrier island will bustle this month with workers, while Sarasota County continues the $10 million project to repair or replace portions of county-maintained sewers. There may be some traffic disruption in neighborhoods affected by cleaning and inspections, which may require lane closures and flagmen, according to information posted on the county’s website.

Current sewer work in the Siesta Cove neighborhood is expected to continue through Friday, Oct. 5.

A county contractor is expected to begin boring into the roadway at Avenida Veneccia the same week for a new manhole. The south side of the street will be closed to pedestrians until work is completed. There may be intermittent lane closures for that project, as well, while sewer inspections occur on Avenida Messina and Beach Road in the same area.

Similar maintenance will be under way on Roberts Point Road, Canal Road and the south stretch of Midnight Pass Road between Basin Lane and Mandalay Point Lane. (See map.)

The Siesta Key north bridge rehabilitation project, which was originally forecasted to be complete by Oct. 16, may continue through the end of the month. But, the Florida Department of Transportation doesn’t expect much traffic disruption, because much of the remaining work is on the bridge tender tower, said FDOT public liaison Jennifer Stafford.

The sewer project, which county staff estimate will save $50,000 in operating costs, will last throughout the county until September 2017, according to the 2013 adopted budget.