Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
County officials recently heard word from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) of several awards that altogether total more than $9 million for bridge and roadway improvement projects.
County officials approved agreements with the FDOT on Thursday evening, Dec. 1, that involved the awards of funding for either the engineering design plans or actual work for three projects.
The three agreements related to the engineering design for the resurfacing of Old Lloyd Road (CR-158A), the repair of the bridge over Wolf Creek on the Ashville Highway (CR-146), and the resurfacing and widening of the Waukeenah Highway (CR-259).
The funding for the three projects came from one of the several road-improvement programs that the FDOT administers to assist small counties better maintain their roadway infrastructures.
The first was an award of $62,200 under the County Incentive Grant Program (CIGP) for the survey, design and preparation of the construction plan and specifications for the resurfacing of about 1.663 miles of Old Lloyd Road, from 500 feet east of Lloyd Creek Road to the I-10 overpass.
The second project entails doing minor repairs to the Wolf Creek Bridge on the Ashville Highway, for which the FDOT awarded the county $185,099 under its Small County Outreach Program (SCOP).
The repair work is to include cleaning and sealing the concrete surface and deck expansion joints and rehabbing and restoring the fractured or fragmented areas. The total length of the project is about .04 miles.
Finally there was the agreement for the resurfacing and widening of the Waukeenah Highway from U.S. 27 to U.S. 19, for which project the FDOT awarded the county a $2,618,320 SCOP grant.
This work will entail repaving the two travel lanes and a variable width of the grassed shoulders, along with drainage improvements that will include removal and replacement of cross drains and construction of the end treatments. The total length of the roadwork is 9.444 miles, with all the work, including construction, to be completed by Oct. 31, 2023.
The Waukeenah Road was supposed to have been resurfaced and widened a couple of years ago. The county, in fact, had received a near equal amount from the FDOT for the work.
Problems with the county’s specifications, however, led to a lawsuit by the apparent low bidder when the company was denied the award. In the ensuing litigation, time finally ran out and the FDOT finally pulled back the funding.
More recently, following the commission’s approval of the three agreements, the FDOT announced its five-year work program for District 3, which includes Jefferson County.
Specific to Jefferson County in the five-year program, the following funding was announced:
$1,651,786 under SCOP for the resurfacing and widening of the Ashville Highway from the city limits to Bassett Road.
$4,108,660 under SCOP for the resurfacing and widening of the Boston Highway in three phases between 2023 and 2026. The amounts break down as follow: $2,014,259 for resurfacing and widening in phase 1, from U.S. 19 to Still Road; $174,540 for the design of phase 2, from Still Road to South Gilley Road; and $1,919,861 for the resurfacing and widening of the highway from Still Road to South Gilley Road in phase 2.
$685,264 under CIGP for the resurfacing of Old Lloyd Road from Old Lloyd Creek to the I-10 overpass.
An undetermined amount for a project that entails the replacement of the Aucilla River Bridge on South Salt Road (CR-257). No amount was given because the FDOT itself will manage the work.