Leaky pipe creates GMD congestion

A 30-year-old wastewater pipe scheduled to be replaced later this year is now leaking under Gulf of Mexico Drive, just north of Bay Isles Road.

Town Manager Bruce St. Denis said the freshly paved northbound lane of Gulf of Mexico Drive in the 2800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive needs to be cut out in that area to see where the pipe is leaking and make the repair.

Work will begin to repair the pipe starting today and it could take at least a week to correct the problem.

For Longboat Key motorists, the repair could mean delays in the area, although town staff and the Florida Department of Transportation will try to maintain two lanes in the area because that section of the state roadway is wider than most areas because of a Bay Isles Road turn lane.

“Repairs will still likely impact GMD travel lanes,” wrote St. Denis in an email to the Town Commission Friday.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].