First road resurfaced with new one-penny sales tax
Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – The Alachua County Public Works Department announces that NE 27th Avenue in the Copeland area is the first resurfacing project to use funds from the new Infrastructure Surtax approved by voters last November. The tax will generate approximately $11.7 million annually for road rehabilitation projects. Combined with other funding sources, these dollars are part of the quarter-of-a-billion-dollar, 10-year pavement management program recently approved by the County Commission.
Paving of the travel lanes began on Monday, June 26, 2023, and should be completed by the end of this week. Over the next few weeks, the contractors will pave all connection approaches and install an elevated speed table for a crosswalk at Copeland Park. Travel delays will continue through July while this work is completed. Drivers should expect delays while traveling on this road.
The NE 27th Avenue project is budgeted at $1,559,043 and includes the milling and resurfacing of 1½ inches of asphalt for .86 miles. Local paving contractor V.E. Whitehurst & Sons, Inc. is doing the paving and coordinating the project with Superior Roadway Services for milling and P&P Striping, LLC for roadway striping.
It’s about time. How many years has the tax been collected?
If we have to wait that long for the next road we’ll likely be using flying cars but maybe voters will have a chance to wise up by then.
The tax started in January of 2023.
It was just voted in last November. With this and other funding sources, the County Commission has committed a quarter of a billion dollars over the next ten years for road projects. Stay tuned.
Wouldn’t have needed the extra tax if the commission would have utilized the available tax funds appropriately.
Mark, tell us which roads have been identified as needing repair by engineers versus those the commission has deemed in need of repair based on where they or their friends live. Aren’t the engineers the ones who have the training and expertise to know which roads have gone the longest without repair? That’s part of their job and shouldn’t be based on political connections or undue influence. Some have mentioned 235 & 235A, how far down the list are those? How about 237? Will the predominantly rural, leaning conservative communities get the same consideration? The roads should have been identified long before the added tax.
Asking for a friend.
Still waiting for that answer Mark.
In the photo I don’t see a single pothole on the older pavement. But I can understand why they need more speed humps in the eastside.
I hope CR 235 and 235A get on this list. These roads are horrible.
They are implying the one cent sales tax is for roads, but in reality, 1/2 cent is still for taking taxable land off the rolls and building opulent parks. The other 1/2 cent is split so that roads, which they pushed to get the tax voted in, is less than 10% of the total. Sad.
Shouldn’t have taken a special tax to do the most basic thing that local government should be doing.
This new ‘road patcher’ won’t really fix the roads. Too many roads have been patched over so many times the road bed underneath is shot and patching won’t fix it without a new road base.
It is about time this pothole ridden road got resurfaced. The residents have waited too long! I am glad that Copeland residents and others can now drive on a safe road.
Sure glad Lil’ Kenny will have a newly paved option to get to work from Keystone Heights! Just wonder how the required repairs were prioritized! They (AC) publish a plan for their road repairs but never how it was established! How much daily traffic actually use this road compared to others? I’m betting that will not be published!
Even at the promised “Quarter of a billion dollars over the next 10 years” as promised by the lying AC BOCC, their “expert engineer” has said the roads will still continue to deteriorate until anyone outside what will be treeless GNV city limits, will drive on gravel roads! On the bright side, AC and GNV will own most of the land in the county/city area! Too bad they aren’t taxed for it! A’Hol$$!