The Florida Department of Transportation held a public hearing on December 10th to present the Tentative Work Program for FY 1998/99 - 2002/03. Portions of those plans that will affect our riding area are listed below.
There were three areas of discussion of particular interest to cyclists.
1. Elected officials from Dixie, Gilchrist, and Levy counties were present in force to support the Nature Coast Greenway. This project will provide many miles of paved recreational paths in those counties, with the closest approach to Gainesville probably being Trenton. The officials strongly supported moving the project up on the list, rather than waiting to the next century to begin work.
2. A strong case was made to redesign the SR 20 (Hawthorne Road) project to provide for a higher bridge over the creek between Newnans Lake and Paynes Prairie. DOT responded a few days later, postponing bids on the project in order to do the redesign.
3. Alachua County and the Gainesville Cycling Club supported moving the project to widen and repave CR 241 from Jonesville to Alachua to an earlier date.
Unless otherwise noted, all projects are repaving and will add shoulders if not already present. The year listed is when construction should occur (it could possibly start at the end of the previous year).
| Alachua County | ||
|---|---|---|
| US 27/41 | from Newberry to High Springs | 1998 |
| SR 20 | (Hawthorne Road) out to SR 325 4 lanes | 1998 |
| US 441 | from NW 6th St to Alachua | 1999 |
| CR 235/241 | in Alachua | 1999 |
| US 27 | from Levy county to Archer | 1999 |
| US 301 | from Island Grove to Orange Heights | 1999 |
| SR 26 | from Orange Heights to Melrose | 2000 |
| SR 26 | (Newberry Road) from CR 241N to CR 241S 4 lanes | 2000 |
| US 27 | from High Springs west to Columbia county | 2000/1 |
| NW 39th Ave & I-75 interchange | 2001 | |
| SR 121 | from LaCrosse to Santa Fe River | 2001 |
| SR 121 | Santa Fe River bridge rebuild | 2001 |
| SR 20 | (Hawthorne Road) from Waldo Road to Lakeshore Dr | 2001 |
| US 301 | from Waldo to Bradford county | 2001 |
| SR 24 | (Waldo Road) from Gainesville to Waldo | 2001 |
| US 441 | rebuild bridge at Columbia line | 2001 |
| SR 26 | (Newberry Road) from CR 241S to Newberry 4 lanes | 2001/2 |
| CR 241 | from Jonesville to Alachua | 2002 |
| Bradford County | ||
| US 301 | entire county | 1998/9 |
| Union County | ||
| CR 231N | (Battle of Olustee course) bridge replacement | 1999 |
| SR 121 | from Lake Butler to Reddick | 2000 |
| CR 231N | (Battle of Olustee course) | 2003 |
| Gilchrist County | ||
| CR 340 | from US 129 to SR 47 | 2000 |
| US 129 | from Levy line to Bell | 2000 |
| SR 47 | from Trenton to CR 232 | 2001 |
| Levy County | ||
| US 27 | from Williston to Alachua line | 1999 |
| US 27A | from Williston to CR 241 | 2000 |
| US 27A | from CR 241 to Bronson | 2002 |
| Dixie County | ||
| Nature Coast Greenway | 2003 | |