Pinellas County outlines two St. Pete Beach water‑main replacements; Ninth Avenue to close during work

Pinellas County Utilities presented plans Monday to replace two aging, subaqueous cast‑iron water mains serving parts of St. Pete Beach.

The projects are a replacement of the Passagrill (Passagrill/Passagrill Way) subaqueous main — a cast‑iron 16‑inch line that has leaked — and a Vina del Mar/Maritana neighborhood program to replace a 12‑inch cast‑iron subaqueous line and smaller neighborhood mains. "This is an existing 16 inch subaqueous cast iron watermain. It's reached the end of its service life," said Susan Gobel Canning, planning and project management division, Pinellas County Utilities.

The county expects to use directional drilling for the subaqueous segments. For the Passagrill crossing, the plan is to directional‑drill from Ninth Avenue in St. Pete Beach to Sixth Street West in Tierra Verde and to install a newer HDPE pipe sized larger than the existing line. "We're working with the Army Corps of Engineers to get our permit to do the water line replacement," Gobel Canning said. She said the new line will increase capacity and help water quality.

Why it matters: the county said both lines are nearing the end of their useful lives, and replacement is intended to reduce future leaks and improve system capacity and water quality.

Key construction impacts and timing - Ninth Avenue will be closed during construction of the Passagrill subaqueous crossing; detours and signage will guide drivers. Gobel Canning estimated construction could last about 180 days for that crossing, depending on contractor staging. - Tierra Verde will see partial lane detours on Sixth Street West and Monte Cristo Boulevard. The right‑of‑way along Monte Cristo Boulevard from Sixth Street West to Fourth Street West is likely to be used as a staging area. The county said homeowners and service trucks will retain access to properties. - The Maritana / 20 First Avenue project will include directional drilling for the subaqueous crossing and a neighborhood program using a combination of open cut and directional drilling; some driveway and intermittent traffic impacts are possible. County staff estimated the neighborhood program could take about a year of construction.

Service interruptions and communications Pinellas County said no water service interruptions are expected for the planned work, but if an interruption becomes necessary customers would receive 48 hours' notice via door hangers. The county is preparing project web pages and expects to hold a community meeting before starting the Vina del Mar neighborhood work. For contact information, the county directed residents to the project website or to call the county project manager via the utilities main office.

Remaining steps Both projects require permitting before construction starts; the Passagrill work is pending a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit that county staff hoped to receive within a few months. The county also said final pipe sizes for the subaqueous drill segments will be determined during final design; staff discussed upsizing some subaqueous segments from 12 inches to 16 inches or larger when moving from cast iron to HDPE during design.

What residents asked Commissioners and residents asked about the extent and duration of closures and detours, whether Passagrill/Passagrill Way would be affected (county staff said it would not), and whether staging would block driveways. Gobel Canning said contractors would work with residents to preserve access and that staging locations are being chosen to limit yard impacts.

Next steps and community outreach The county will finalize permitting, post project pages with schedules and contacts, and hold at least one community meeting for the Vina del Mar work before construction begins. Residents with concerns were directed to the county project website or the county's main utilities phone number.