Longboat Key's only tunnel changes hands

You may have passed it hundreds, or thousands, or even tens of thousands of times and not even known it.

That’s because the Gulf of Mexico Drive pedestrian crossing just north of Harbourside Drive is underground, and from the road it’s only marked by a couple guardrails. The Gulf of Mexico Drive pedestrian tunnel connects the sidewalks on each side of the town’s main thoroughfare, providing safe crossing for pedestrians without interrupting traffic.

Photo by S.T. Cardinal

Since at least 1990, the Bay Isles Association has been responsible for maintenance of the underpass and have paid to insure it. 

The rising cost of insuring the majority public-utilized tunnel led to discussions years ago about whether the Association and town could come up with an agreement to transfer ownership of the infrastructure. At the time, the Association paid about $50,000 in insurance and $15,000 annually in maintenance for the tunnel. 

The town, which sees it as useful infrastructure that protects pedestrians in an area where crosswalks are few and far between, has continued discussions on how to keep the tunnel open and responsibly maintained.

Now, the town will take over responsibility for the tunnel.

Photo by S.T. Cardinal

At the June 29 Town Commission meeting, the commission unanimously approved a donation agreement that transfers “ownership interest” and maintenance responsibilities to the town. A memo from Town Attorney Maggie Mooney states that because title records showing Bay Isles ownership of the tunnel are missing, the tunnel will be transferred to the town via quit-claim deed. A quit-claim deed transfers interests in a property from one party to another without “representing, covenanting, or warranting that the title is good,” according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.

Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman said the town, FDOT and independent engineers hired by the Bay Isles Association all inspected the tunnel and discovered it is in sound shape and the town’s existing liability coverage would have the tunnel “folded into that (coverage) at no additional cost to the town,” and providing additional insurance is likely unnecessary.

“The premium would be a little higher than we’d like, and you would actually need to have an earthquake or a bomb to take that thing out,” Brownman said. “So it may not be worth insuring it because it’s a very solid structure. The only thing that could really go bad is the pump and the lights, and they’re far less expensive than what the insurer wants to charge on a premium.”

The tunnel drains through four inlets with a submersible pump that has been tested repeatedly and works.

The Bay Isles Association shared typical annual expenses of $16,000 with the town that included pressure washing at a cost of about $5,000 a year, painting every five years at a cost of $13,950 and landscaping, electrical bills and general maintenance for $7,200. The town’s public works department is capable of painting and washing the tunnel, which would save expenses, Brownman said.

The town does not have data showing how much it is used but that it is used, but Commissioner Penny Gold said it is used by her neighbors often, especially by those on the way to Publix.

“I live at Sea Place and there’s a lot of people there that use that tunnel frequently, and in all manner of transportation,” Gold said. “Bad hips, bad knees, walkers, baby carriages, they all use the tunnel.”