A flooded causeway took precedence at latest GIBA meeting
Flooding on the Gasparilla Island Causeway after Hurricane Ian was the main topic of discussion for the spring meeting of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA), held Thursday, April 22. The long duration of the flooding has had many people wondering why, and what can be done to prevent a recurrence.
There was agreement that the flooding was a highly unusual happening, with the volume of rain generated by the storm a major factor. Nevertheless, if reasonable steps can be taken to prevent a recurrence of the situation in future storms, the Board is determined to take those steps.
GIBA Engineer Jon Cole, from Giffels Webster Engineers, said he and his staff have been investigating, and had some ideas and recommendations on how the Board could proceed to begin tackling the situation. A full written report will be forwarded to all Board members in the near future, but Cole was present to help the members take some early steps.
He had photos and drawings to help explain the topography of the land, as well as what structures are already in place in the area that flooded. Some of these are owned by GIBA, some by the property owners of Gulf Shores North and other entities, including Charlotte County.
It was explained that a water main break was discovered at Grande Quay following the hurricane. It may have added to the delay in drainage in the area, but it was not a major factor, according to GIBA Executive Director Kathy Banson-Verrico. Wind speeds and directions likely had more of an influence, reported Cole.
This part of the roadway is situated between Gasparilla Sound and the Gulf of Mexico, but on that narrow strip of land there also is the community of Gulf Shores North. There is a drainage pond that serves those homes, which also was filled to capacity with rainwater and seawater during the storm. That pond, Cole reported, has no positive outlet for water, but depends on seepage or percolation to reduce its level.
He said that for smaller rainfall events, a reasonable solution would be to add shallow swale-like ditches or cuts in the soil, with no structures needed. These would allow water to move toward the pond instead of toward the roadway. He was not sure whose responsibility it would be, or if GIBA would have the right to make these cuts, but that could be discussed with the subdivision property owners.
There is also a network of drainage pipes and a catch basin that need to be inspected for blockages and cleaned out and maintained on an ongoing basis. This may be the responsibility of GIBA or the property owners, but the Board approved action to do this cleanout and work it out with the subdivision.
Cole noted that all of these suggestions would only help in fairly minor rainstorms, not the megastorm that Hurricane Ian brought to the island. He spoke about several other possible actions, such as raising the road, that could be taken, but they would bring high costs and questionable advantages. These will be spelled out in more detail in the report and discussed at the August meeting.
In other business, Advisory Board Member and Engineering Committee Chairman George Milne gave a report on the March 29 engineering meeting. No serious structural issues were identified, but ongoing inspections and proactive attention to various things, such as the status of “pivot bearings,” “end lifts” and electrical control systems are areas of special attention, he reported.
Banson-Verrico provided an in-depth report on operations. She said revenues and traffic were down in the six months from October 2022 to March 2023, as expected, due to Hurricane Ian, fewer people coming to Southwest Florida because of the storm, red tide concerns, etc.
The drop in traffic numbers was about 11 percent below the same period in 2021-2022. Total traffic was 558,853, as compared to 625,154. Cash tolls were down 22 percent. Revenue figures, overall, were down 14 percent from what was budgeted. Actual total revenues were $2.8 million. This figure includes cash tolls, toll cards, interest and miscellaneous revenue. She is expecting a $300,000 insurance reimbursement for lost business revenue.
“This will bring us up, just about even,” she said, adding that April is the first month GIBA tolls have been “flat with last year, so that’s a good trend. At least we’re seeing a little bit more traffic.”
She said bridge openings are down 38 percent from last year, averaging only three openings a day. “That is a lot slower than it used to be,” she noted, and said some days there were no openings at all.
Banson-Verrico told the Board that she is part of the “hurricane committee” that is revamping the whole reentry program after a major storm. She believes the group is making “good progress.” The details will be announced in the near future, but she said those on the committee are in agreement on many aspects of the plan.
