BY LARRY DUPEE
Special to the Times
LAKE BUTLER — This year has seen major steps in projects underway to improve outdated infrastructure in county roads. Union County road improvement plans have been implemented to accommodate the increase in traffic that comes with population growth as this area develops new neighborhoods. The construction on SW 150 th loop has undergone the necessary changes in developing the improvements required to meet current standards.
This project has already exceeded the time frame deadline of June 30, 2021 and has increased the cost of this project by an estimated $215,000, also approved by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). A formal request for the additional funding and an extended timeframe has been sent to and approved by the FDOT. This project is now in its final stages of completion and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Anderson Columbia was the low bidder on the CR 238 North project coming in with a bid of $906,969.71. This project has been completed in 2021 and will serve the growing community well.
The replacement of the CR 231 bridge over the New River had been planned to take 90 days to complete at a cost of approximately $94,000. Despite weather related delays, this project has been completed this year and provides a new bridge to span the New River.
All projects are subject to planning, design and implementation in an allocated time frame. At this time, plans for future projects are passing from planning to the design stage. Plans for improvements on CR 229 North, 92nd St, 146th Lane and 152nd Court and have been adopted as of Oct. 6, 2021. These plans now are designed to accommodate individual projects as needed to implement the necessary improvements.
The addition of turn lanes at the intersection of CR 231 and CR 121 to help improve traffic flow and provide safer crosswalks for pedestrians at this busy intersection has been approved. This project has been planned and adopted into the design stage and funded through FDOT Small County Road Assistance Program (SCRAP) grants, as have all the projects listed in this article.
The repairs on CR 229 North have been planned, adopted and designed as of Oct. 13, 21. At this time the plans for road repairs at 92nd Street, 146th Lane and 152nd Court projects, as well as, CR 18 from the Columbia County line to SR 121, approximately 5 miles of road repair, CR 238 north from 111th Way to CR 229, approximately 5 miles have been approved and are scheduled to go into design.
These projects the other being proposed for the future development of Union County depend heavily on SCRAP grants from the FDOT for funding.
The success of any system relies on organization. Management, planning and implementation of well planned projects to improve the ability of Union County to grow with the developments of the 21st century have been, and will be, the goal of the Union County Commission. In the interest of providing the highest standard of living possible to accommodate the growing community Union County commissioners have employed all options to improve conditions in the county for future development.
