Published in the January 2019 issue of the Beacon.
Back home up north folks would often joke that there were only two seasons – winter and road construction. Those of us who live along Burnt Store Road will soon get to experience both of those seasons concurrently.
Charlotte County will later this year recommence the Burnt Store Road widening and reconstruction project between Norte Dame Blvd. and Zemel Road. This is the third and final phase of the Charlotte County section, though it is referenced by the county as Phase II (they skipped straight from Phase I to Phase III when the various developers who had committed to help fund the middle Phase II section went out of business or deferred their projects).
Following is a summary of the status of the project as at November 24 as supplied by representatives of Charlotte County:
– Design of the road section is now complete. It will look very much like the four lane southern section between Zemel and Vincent with a center median and turn lanes
– the Southwest Florida Water Management District permit has been applied for and received
– U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit has been applied for but not yet received
– Acquisition of properties along the route is in progress and should be complete by the spring of 2019
– Once all properties are acquired and all permits issued, construction bidding will begin
– Expectation is that a successful bidder will be selected in the summer and construction will commence in the fall of 2019
– Bidders will be told to plan for a 24 month project, though weather or other uncontrollable contingencies could potentially push that to 30 or more months
Unlike with the last phase, those of us who live south of the construction zone will at least have the option of driving to and from Highway 41 on what will become a very busy Zemel Road. While we will thereby bypass the construction zone, we’ll also be competing for road space with the parades of solid waste trucks which also use this road.
The construction of a four lane artery between Burnt Store Road and I-75 along the Notre Dame and Tuckers Grade right of way, which is part of the long term hurricane evacuation route plan, is not yet in the planning stage and is still well off in the future.