May 7, 2008 — Long Bay Road has been cut down to a two-lane highway to allow for the continuing installation of a box culvert that will run from the outside of Wendy's, across the Mandela Circle intersection and up to Blockbuster Video.
Contacted Wednesday, Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls said he is not sure how long the work will take to complete. But he made it clear that the highway will not, at any time, get cut down to just one lane.
"I think there was a bit of confusion about what exactly was going on," he said. "But our contract for the project says that there must be two lanes of traffic at all times. What we're doing is just basically shifting the traffic on the road opposite Yacht Haven to the northernmost two lanes."
The closure of the lane extends upward to the beginning of Frenchman's Bay Road by the Mandela Circle intersection. Motorists will still be able to use the northernmost lanes to turn on to Centerline Road and continue past Vitraco Park, or to travel up to Havensight.
The box culvert, which will help control drainage in the area, is 12 feet wide and five feet deep, Smalls added.
The left lane (eastern-bound) on Beltjen Road — running past Wet Willy's and Bluebeard's Castle to the Lover's Lane intersection — has also been shut down, Smalls said. This portion of the project, expected to take three weeks to complete, will allow the road to transition smoothly into the new intersection, he explained.
The work will not affect traffic on Veterans Drive and Lover's Lane. There are currently no closures on Centerline Road, Smalls said.
Residents are urged to take alternate routes to avoid potential delays.
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