St. Augustine has completed its Court Theophelia Flood Mitigation Project, a drainage effort intended to better manage stormwater runoff and reduce standing water on neighborhood streets.
The city plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18, on Bannan Avenue between Court Theophelia and Court Louise. Construction on the project began in April.
City’s first bioswale installation
The work includes St. Augustine’s first green stormwater infrastructure installation: a bioswale. The vegetated, sloped drainage channel is designed to collect, manage and filter stormwater while supplementing conventional drainage improvements.
The project was funded through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Florida Program, according to the city.
Design and construction team
St. Augustine’s Castle Bay Design Studio led initial planning and design work, including the bioswale and landscaping. The firm also held public-engagement meetings and prepared final construction documents with civil engineering and roadway design work from Freese & Nichols.
Freese & Nichols also handled engineering design, permitting, modeling and utility coordination. Meskel & Associates Engineering performed geotechnical and soil-related work, while CDM Smith provided construction and engineering inspection services. DB Civil Construction was the project contractor.