Bivens Arm is getting a makeover.
The 57-acre nature park was closed Sept. 1 in order to undergo an anticipated three-month construction project aimed to improve the park's boardwalks, bridges and pavilion decking.
"Bivens Arm has been on our project list for some time now," said Stefanie Nagid, natural resource management interim program coordinator for Gainesville.
Commissioned to be completed no later than Dec. 1, Nagid said the date may fluctuate with uncontrollable circumstances, including a hurricane or an onslaught of rain.
Bivens Arm Nature Park hosts nearly 60 acres of marshes, soaring pine and oak forests, a one-mile nature trail, a 1,200-foot boardwalk and a wide array of wildlife.
"Bivens Arm is actually one of our oldest acquired parks," Nagid said.
According to Nagid, the pressure-treated wood used to construct the bridges and boardwalk has a lifespan of only 15 to 20 years.
In Florida, where the weather conditions are notoriously moist, the lifespan is even less, she said. She added that Bivens Arm, the lifespan is, yet, even shorter than that due to the shady, moist conditions provided by the pine and oak canopy.
"[The bridges and boardwalk] were very old and had become unsafe," Nagid said. "The pavilion itself was also unsafe, but for different reasons."
The renovations, which will be completed by McNeal and White Contractors Inc., will cost $98,340.
The renovations will result in a slightly shortened boardwalk and a minor adjustment in the nature trail where the boardwalk is being remodeled, Nagid said.
Admission to Bivens Arm is free. The nature park will reopen from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily upon completion of the construction.
