As we start 2019, the City of Sarasota would like to thank residents for their continued patience as we construct the Lift Station 87 project. This article will highlight what was accomplished in 2018 and construction plans for 2019 and beyond.
The Lift Station 87 project includes new pipelines and a new above-ground wastewater lift station in Luke Wood Park to replace the aging Lift Station 7. The new lift station and sewer mains will handle about one third of the city’s wastewater flow, including Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Due to the critical nature of the new lift station, it has designed to withstand storm surges associated with a Category 3 hurricane. Wastewater will be pumped from the new lift station to the City’s wastewater treatment plant, so this project helps ensure safe and reliable wastewater collection service to the residents of Sarasota and protects our natural resources from pollution due to infrastructure failure.
After successfully microtunneling the new wastewater pipes under Osprey Avenue and Luke Wood Park in 2017, work began at the Lift Station 87 site in January 2018. Throughout 2018, crews have been hard at work demolishing and removing the existing structures and preparing the site for the new facility. Much of this has been to install the structure required to support the deep excavation. Known as a cofferdam, this structure enables the contractor to safely build the deepest parts of the lift station. The cofferdam for Lift Station 87 is over 50 feet deep!
With the cofferdam and excavation complete, we will begin building the new lift station in 2019. Crews are currently preparing to pour the deep concrete structures that will make up the lift station wetwell. The wetwell is the structure to which the wastewater flows. It contains specially designed pumps that send the wastewater to a higher elevation. In the second half of this year, crews will begin to work on the lift station building that will contain the electrical and mechanical systems that operate the lift station.
Phase 3, Open Cut Pipeline Construction, begins in mid-2020. Crews will work in the intersection of Osprey Avenue and Lincoln Drive to connect the previously installed microtunnel to the existing wastewater system. Then crews will install pipelines via open cut along Osprey Avenue, Alta Vista Street, Pomelo Avenue and Pomelo Place. After construction, streets will be fully restored, curb to curb, and bicycle lanes will be added on Osprey Avenue. There will be traffic and construction inconvenience associated with this work, so we will engage the community in advance to ensure residents know what to expect during construction.
We have a busy two years ahead, but we will continue to work diligently to complete this critical infrastructure project. We will continue to post periodic updates to our website (liftstation87.com) as work progresses. Please feel free to reach out to the project team if you have any questions or concerns.