The Florida Department of Transportation hosted several recent public meetings to update progress on the Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) study for widening State Road 60 that runs along a southern portion of Osceola County.
The study is looking at widening sections from Prairie Lake Road in the west to Florida’s Turnpike in Osceola County, a distance of 19.3 miles. The purpose of this project is to address future travel demands and improve safety on a road that has seen its share of fatal accidents.
Currently, an estimated 14,300 vehicles per day use the road, with 34% of that traffic consisting of trucks. By 2050, the traffic is expected to increase by 140%. In the four-year period of 2020-204, there were 334 vehicle crashes, including nine fatal incidents.
The proposed improvements are divided into two different sections. Between Prairie Lake Road and Kenansville Road, SR 60 would be widened into a four-lane rural section, and from Kenansville Road to the Turnpike, the road will be a four-lane urban section with curb and gutter, bike lanes, and pedestrian sidewalks. Blanket Bay Slough Bridge will be widened by adding a separate two-lane bridge section.
At this time, it is expected that both sections will be widened to the north, requiring the acquisition of approximately four hundred acres of property from 51 parcels of land. While the northern alignment has the least amount of land acquisition and impacts on utilities, there is the potential for four residences to be relocated. In addition, 11 residences have been identified as potentially being impacted significantly by increased noise levels, but no noise mitigation measures are proposed. The proposed widening and safety improvements are expected to decrease accidents by 30% and fatalities by 43%.
Public comments on the project are being accepted through Oct. 30 and can be made on the project website at http://bit.ly/47ucqJp. Contact information for the Project Manager can also be found on the project website.
In other county road-related news, there is a survey out by the Central Florida Expressway Authority to gather input for the design of the new State Road 534 (the extension of Osceola Parkway), proposed to run between State Road 417 and Nova Road as part of a beltway around Osceola County’s urban boundary. You can take the survey at https://bit.ly/_sr534.
There is also an upcoming Public Information Open House for the Hickory Tree Road widening project on Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 3-7 p.m. at the St. Cloud Library. Information on proposed layouts, easements, and property impacts will be presented, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback directly to the project team.