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Old Canoe Creek Road
The final phase of the Old Canoe Creek repair is nearly complete and the road is expected to be ready for reopening the first week in March, St. Cloud city officials said.
Four of the six sections of the new upgraded, aluminum stormwater pipe – 9 feet in diameter – were positioned to replace the original pipe, which was damaged last December.
Additionally, the contractor reconnected all utility lines that had been temporarily relocated to allow for construction work to be performed under the roadway. Despite some weather issues, Cathcart Construction Company was able to install a steel shoring system so crews could work safely in the affected canal area, city officials said.
Upon completion of the pipe install, soil will be placed over the pipe in compliance with State Department of Transportation standards, followed by road pavement reconstruction. Areas around the canal and pipe system will be restored to meet South Florida Water Management District requirements. This work is necessary to to ensure durability of the roadway and that stormwater flows unimpeded, most especially during tropical storm water surges.
The canal is part of the citywide stormwater system designed to move water runoff from roads and structures into large bodies of water. The canal is filled with water 365 days a year and flow cannot be blocked. In order to perform work in the canal, the contractor had to setup pump systems to continuously move water downstream and divert it around the construction site.
City engineers are on site to monitor construction progress and make sure proper water flow continues through the canal.
Due to the significant progress that has been achieved, contractors are optimistic that the roadway will reopen to vehicle traffic the first week of March, with some minor roadway and site work continuing after that, according to a city press release.
As a reminder, for the safety of the public, the section of road that is under construction remains closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic. At this time, traffic onto Old Canoe Creek Road, between US Highway192 and Neptune Road is limited to local traffic only, but access to surrounding business continues to be open along US-192, Old Canoe Creek Road, and Neptune Road.
The city continues to monitor the roadway and Osceola County Traffic continues to monitor traffic flow with the added temporary traffic light at Neptune Road and Sgt. Graham Drive.
