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Commission backs revised Alachua Street drainage plan and railroad crossing work
Summary
City staff presented a pivot from a costly pipeline-and-pump approach to an infiltration-and-pipe‑rehabilitation design for the Alachua Street stormwater project and sought related railroad approvals; commissioners approved moving forward with CSX/railroad construction agreements and subsequent agenda items to fund work.
City staff told the Fernandina Beach City Commission that they have reworked the long-delayed Alachua Street storm drainage project to avoid expensive under‑railroad work and to accelerate repairs.
Utilities Director Andre Desilets said the original project, bid in 2021 for roughly $2.45 million, stalled after the contractor failed to mobilize and a later pick‑up quote exceeded $7 million. “We terminated the contract with TNG in November,” Desilets said, and staff explored alternatives that would eliminate the need for jack‑and‑bore work under the railroad.
Desilets described a revised approach that combines cured‑in‑place lining of existing 24‑inch and 18‑inch pipes with an infiltration system beneath Blaschier Street to add storage capacity. He told commissioners that lining and targeted cleaning should maintain hydraulic capacity while avoiding the large mobilization and railroad crossing costs present in the original pump‑station design.
The staff presentation identified roughly $2.9 million available from ARPA, remaining contract balances and CRA funds and estimated a construction cost on the revised scope near $1.2 million, with additional agenda items to follow for CSX/track‑operator approval, design submittals to the Water Management District, and a resolution to withdraw incompatible HMGP construction funding.
Separately, staff presented Resolution 2024‑118 to authorize a construction and maintenance agreement with 1st Coast Railroad for the Alachua Street crossing, lighting and signaling work. City staff said the crossing work is a critical piece of reopening Alachua Street; the project manager told the commission the crossing and related paving should allow the road to open by the end of the calendar year.
What’s next: staff will finalize and submit the revised design and geotechnical package to the Water Management District, pursue railroad/operator approvals (Genesee & Wyoming as the track operator), and bring related purchases and resolutions to forthcoming meetings.
Why it matters: The change is intended to deliver flood relief and off‑site treatment capacity for nearby redevelopment at a fraction of the earlier contractor price, while allowing the city to reuse some delivered equipment for other projects.
