St. Pete dedicates $7.1 million to bridge replacement work

Long-awaited plans to replace a functionally obsolete bridge in St. Petersburg are finally moving forward, with officials now preparing to relocate sewer and drinking water pipelines.

City Council members unanimously approved two related contracts totaling $7.14 million at their Dec. 4 meeting. The San Martin Bridge has served St. Petersburg’s Riviera Bay neighborhood since 1962.

Residents will likely begin seeing project impacts in March 2026. Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, who represents the area, called its advancement “very good news.”

“This has been an ongoing issue for – oh my goodness, it certainly predates me, and I’ve been here for almost nine years,” Gabbard said. “So, that tells you how long the San Martin Bridge has been a conversation in District 2.”

Pinellas County will manage the project in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and is currently wrapping up its design phase. Gabbard expects construction to commence in early 2027.

However, she noted that “there is a lot of work that we need to do to be prepared.” Gabbard requested a project presentation due to the city’s “very large financial investment” and to highlight the “positive progress.”

City utilities, including a 24-inch sanitary sewer force main and 12-inch drinking water main, run along the county-owned bridge. Officials will replace those with new 30-inch and 16-inch pipes, respectively.

Contractors must stage equipment and materials near the bridge.

Brejesh Prayman, engineering and capital improvements director, stressed the importance of the city not impeding the county’s work. “There are opportunities, sometimes, to coordinate the projects when it’s less critical,” he said.

“But because this is a major pipeline for us, we wanted to get ahead of the game and get it out of the way …”

Crews will relocate the drinking water main along the northwest side of the San Martin Bridge and the sewer force main that runs to its northeast and southeast. Prayman said increasing the size of the pipes will increase system capacity and stability.

The new piping will run along Riviera Bay’s seafloor rather than the side of the bridge. Prayman said that would mitigate risk during and after construction.

Project benefits include strengthening city infrastructure, improving long-term reliability, increasing storm resilience and protecting the environment from “unexpected breaks or leaks,” Prayman added.

Officials will begin staging equipment along the bridge’s north side in March. Work will occur between Weedon Drive Northeast and Tallahassee Drive Northeast during the project’s first phase.

Temporary traffic signals will alternate traffic in both directions. Bicycles and vehicles must share the roadway.

A map of the project area.

Contractors will temporarily close parts of Tallahassee Drive Northeast as work progresses. The second phase includes the sewer force main, which will increase area impacts.

Prayman said the city will limit construction to between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week, with some night and weekend work. The goal is to complete installation “when there’s the least demand on the system.”

“That way, we can mitigate any impacts to our community,” Prayman continued. “There will be noise. There will be drilling, there will be dust and some tree trimming will be involved, as well.”

The city will install message boards on 83rd Avenue at the intersections of 4th Street North and Gandy Boulevard. Prayman said those would help prevent motorists from “trying to pass through that section to avoid traffic.”

Officials expect water main pipe removal to begin in April. They hope to complete the project in September.

“It’s a very aggressive construction schedule,” Prayman said.

Council members unanimously approved a $6.71 million maximum contract with Canada-based PCL Construction, Inc., which operates a Tampa office, for the San Martin Bridge replacement. They also approved an up to $427,046 agreement with HDR Construction, Inc., another Canadian company with an outpost in Tampa, to replace the water and sewer piping.