Roadway Threats
UPDATE: SW/NW 80th/70th Avenue Road-Widening
At the Marion County Commission meeting on Tuesday, the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) was approved for the 10.5-mile segment of SW/NW 80th/70th Avenue. This road will be widened to four lanes, starting at SW 90th Avenue to 0.5 miles north of US Hwy 27. Funding for design of phased portions of the corridor is available in the current budget.
Paul Wildman, P.E., from Guerra Development Group, presented the PER, a 900-page document with detailed maps and conceptual designs of the proposed road. The PER report is the first phase. The next three phases are: design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction.
Road Widening Public Hearing Stresses the Need for Public Input
Over 200 people attended the workshops on July 14 and 15 about the SW/NW 80th/70th Avenue road-widening project. Marion County’s Deputy County Engineer, Donald Atwell and representatives from Guerra Development Corporation presented several options for the proposed improvements, which include expanding the current roadway to a four-lane road with bike lanes, pedestrian walks, and a grass median. Wednesday’s meeting focused on the road improvements that are south of SR 40. Thursday’s meeting focused on the road improvements north of SR 40.
Public Input Requested on the SW/NW 80th/70th Avenue Road Widening
The public is invited to provide input on the SW/NW 80th/70th Avenue road widening project at two meetings hosted by Guerra Development Corporation.
The meetings will be held on Wednesday, July 14 and Thursday, July 15 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at Westport High School Auditorium.
Engineers from Guerra Development Corporation will present information about the road widening project in two separate meetings. The first meeting on July 14 will focus on the road improvements located south of SR 40. The second meeting on July 15 will be focused on the section of the road north of SR 40.
Update on the SW/NW 80th/70th Avenue Road Widening
The road improvement project is 10.5 miles long and extends from just north of SR 200 to about one quarter to one half-mile north of US 27. Due to the existing businesses, houses, and Westport High School, the width and design of the road will be modified to accommodate the existing uses. Most of the road widening will occur on the west side of the existing road. At the widest point, the road and multiuse paths will be 120’. The multiuse paths vary from 10’ to 14’ wide and they also include a designated bike path. Other potential sections of the road will be 100’ with a 5’ sidewalk and 4’ bike lane next to the 12’ travel lane for cars. The designs presented were preliminary design of the road will be approved after further input is received.
UPDATE: Five Major Road Widening and Intersection Improvements
One of the largest road projects is a new interchange on the east side of I-75 at NW 49th St/NW 35th St. This new interchange will travel over I-75 to connect into the existing road at NW 49th St./NW 44th Ave. on the west side. A new intersection will also be built at NW 49th St./NW 44th Ave. From this new intersection, a new two-lane road will be built to connect to CR 225A north of the intersection at US 27.
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