FloridaFuture
March 20th, 2008, 12:11 PM
Hillsborough okays plan to extend Citrus Park Drive
By Jared Leone, Times Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, March 19, 2008 8:06 PM
TAMPA — A road that would improve travel from the Westchase area to Pinellas County moved a step ahead at Wednesday's Hillsborough County Commission meeting.
Commissioners unanimously approved a route for the 2.8-mile Citrus Park Drive extension, pushing the road into the design phase. They agreed to move the road at least 55 feet south of the back yards in Fawn Ridge, a Citrus Park community that had feared the road's intrusion. And they agreed to increase buffering between the road and the homes.
County transportation engineers worked six months laying out different routes for the road, trying to keep the road as far as possible from Fawn Ridge and, at the same time, satisfy environmental concerns as they moved closer to the wetlands.
To provide more protection for Fawn Ridge, they are calling for a 10-foot-wide path on the north side of the road instead of five-foot sidewalks on each side. The path will be designed for bicycles and pedestrians.
The road is expected to cost at least $67-million and could be built within five years.
Barbara Dawes, president of the Fawn Ridge Task Force, will work with designers to create a buffer that could cost $100,000 per mile.
Jared Leone can be reached at
jleone@sptimes.com or (813) 269-5314.
[Last modified Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:38 PM]
http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/roads/article424708.ece
By Jared Leone, Times Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, March 19, 2008 8:06 PM
TAMPA — A road that would improve travel from the Westchase area to Pinellas County moved a step ahead at Wednesday's Hillsborough County Commission meeting.
Commissioners unanimously approved a route for the 2.8-mile Citrus Park Drive extension, pushing the road into the design phase. They agreed to move the road at least 55 feet south of the back yards in Fawn Ridge, a Citrus Park community that had feared the road's intrusion. And they agreed to increase buffering between the road and the homes.
County transportation engineers worked six months laying out different routes for the road, trying to keep the road as far as possible from Fawn Ridge and, at the same time, satisfy environmental concerns as they moved closer to the wetlands.
To provide more protection for Fawn Ridge, they are calling for a 10-foot-wide path on the north side of the road instead of five-foot sidewalks on each side. The path will be designed for bicycles and pedestrians.
The road is expected to cost at least $67-million and could be built within five years.
Barbara Dawes, president of the Fawn Ridge Task Force, will work with designers to create a buffer that could cost $100,000 per mile.
Jared Leone can be reached at
jleone@sptimes.com or (813) 269-5314.
[Last modified Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:38 PM]
http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/roads/article424708.ece