Survey work at the Morse Island could begin to shed light on degradation at the embankment and help zero in on the potential cost of repairs.
An engineering firm over the next several days will be performing survey work on Morse Island near the bridge north of Lake Sumter Landing.
This effort will provide data for analysis relative to any changes in elevation or contour for the area. During this work there may be minor impacts to traffic on the roadway and multi-modal trail.
A previously approved $1.7 million rock revetment project aimed at shoring up the embankment at the Morse Boulevard bridge has been on hold since 2017’s Hurricane Irma significantly raised the water level at Lake Sumter. Last year, the Project Wide Advisory Committee spent $120,000 on custom-made pumps in an effort to bring down the water level. They were replacements for pumps that had outlived their usefulness.
In 2016, soil borings were collected at the site as part of a study by Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc. That study prompted PWAC, which includes representation from Community Development Districts 5 through 11, to vote in favor of a $1.47 million rock revetment project to shore up the embankment. Coupled with $159,000 in work by Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc., the project would reach $1.7 million.
Last month at a question-and-answer session at Rohan Recreation Center, PWAC members got an earful from angry residents who suggested PWAC ought to “hold someone’s feet to the fire” over the potentially costly project to be paid for by residents living south of County Road 466.