Roosevelt Creek Channel 5 Improvements

Project Overview

The objective of the project is to establish a more natural connection between Roosevelt Creek Channel 5 and Old Tampa Bay. This will improve stormwater flow, habitat and water quality for the surrounding area.

The overall project includes the removal of excess sediment, removal of the salinity weir (the overflow structure at the downstream end of the channel), environmental restoration, manatee gate installation and pipe improvements. The increased tidal flow resulting from altering the weir will increase flushing of nutrient-enriched water, which will help reduce fish kills and algal blooms. Additional work includes bank regrading and stabilization for areas with erosion, rehabilitation of stormwater pipes that convey water to Channel 5, and plantings along the western bank of the channel.

The project was initially bid in December 2019, but the bid prices received significantly exceeded the estimated project budget. As a result, the County split the project into two phases:

• Phase I – Dredging (completed in 2020-21)
• Phase II – Salinity weir modification, pipe improvements, and plantings (current planned work)

Project Location

Project Impacts

The new weir will be constructed 1.6 feet lower than the existing weir. Upon project completion, the water within the channel will be lower and brackish (a mixture of fresh and salt water), which will result in the natural recruitment of mangroves along the slopes to provide more estuarine habitat.

Traffic impacts throughout the project will be intermittent and will occur primarily along 34th Street, Old Roosevelt Boulevard and Evergreen Avenue/Airport Perimeter Road. Additional impacts may occur at 34th Street North, Roxborough Avenue, Tern Lane, Puffin Court, Shearwater Court, Osprey Place, Gull Place, and Ibis Court when pipe rehabilitation occurs. These impacts will be temporary.

Anticipated Project Timeline

• Construction: June 2024 – Winter 2026

Community Outreach

Pinellas County mailed preconstruction notice letters to affected residents and businesses in May 2024, ahead of construction start.

Project Funding

This project is supported by the Penny for Pinellas, Southwest Florida Water Management District Cooperative Funding Initiative, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, and Federal award number SLFRP4653 awarded to Pinellas County Government by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021).

Contact Us

Yi Thierry Ku, P.E.
Project Manager
Public Works / Capital Improvements
14 S. Ft. Harrison Ave., Clearwater, FL 33756
(727) 464-3780
tku@pinellas.gov