Construction of Lift Station to Close Portions of Osprey Ave

Osprey Avenue will be closed from Mound Street south to Waldemere Street beginning July 11 as part of a capital improvement project to build a new lift station in nearby Luke Wood Park. According to the city, the closure is expected to be in effect until Thanksgiving. Detour signs will direct motorists to use U.S. 41.

Since last fall, city staff has been in contact with residents, business owners and other stakeholders in the Osprey Avenue construction area, providing updates on the project timeline, coordinating neighborhood traffic patterns and answering questions.  

For public communication purposes, the construction area is divided into six zones. Each of the six zones is numbered and color coded and can be located atwww.sarasotagov.com.  To register for project notifications and to see a map of the construction area visit www.sarasotagov.com

Osprey Avenue will be closed while 36-inch gravity sewer pipes are installed underground to connect to lift station 87 (LS 87), which is under construction in Luke Wood Park.  The project is  employing an engineering technology called micro-tunneling. It is being used to reduce the impact to the neighborhood and environment, city staff said. Micro-tunneling allows crews to bore underground rather than excavate the road. Osprey Avenue, between Mound Street and Waldemere Street, will be closed due to the creation of large pits which are necessary for the micro-tunneling. 

Once LS 87 is approved for use, the effluent flow from lift stations 7 and 71 will be diverted to LS 87, and LS 7 and LS 71 will be decommissioned. The city said the new station will be very reliable with redundancy and a diesel operated backup system.  It also will have an extensive odor control system. The area will be landscaped and it is expected most passersby will not realize a lift station is located in Luke Wood Park.  The project is expected to be completed by October 2012.   

During the Osprey Avenue road closure, the Hudson Bayou bridge will be closed to pedestrian traffic. Bridge repair work has been coordinated to occur during the road closure.