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Highlands Today

County Moves Ahead With Road Projects

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By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: September 26, 2008

SEBRING - With help from a state grant of $1.6 million and a housing developer's donation of about $80,000, Highlands County will go ahead with two major road improvements in the new 2008-09 fiscal year, which starts Wednesday.

The two projects, one in the north end of the county and one in the south, total about $2.1 million.

One project, between Sebring and Avon Park, is focused on relieving traffic congestion around the new Memorial Elementary School. Turning lanes will be added on the approaches to the busy intersection of Memorial Drive and Valerie Boulevard.

The estimated price tag is about $400,000, according to Highlands County Engineer Ramon Gavarrete.

The second project, estimated at about $1.6 million, is designed to improve safety on a seven-mile stretch of Old State Route 8 in the southern end of the county. State funding will pay the entire cost, Gavarrete said.

Old State Route 8 will be resurfaced from just north of Toni Drive south to Shepherd Road. Gavarrete said there also will be improvements to the berms in some sections.

"It's going to be a big improvement," he said. "It's a safety upgrade to the road."

About a year ago, the Florida Department of Transportation awarded Highlands County a $2.3 million grant to upgrade Old State Road 8. Earlier this year, the county spent about $600,000 of that to prevent flooding of the roadway by raising several low sections.

The remaining $1.2 million will be used for the resurfacing and berm work.

"We really wanted to correct some of the hills," to level out the numerous dips and rises on this twisting rural road, Gavarrete said. "Unfortunately, because of the permitting process and environmental concerns, we're not going to be able to correct the hills.

"But," he added, "we will be able to do resurfacing and some shoulder work, and it is a safety upgrade that should be out to bid within a month."

Bids for the Memorial Drive/Valerie Boulevard project will be advertised this weekend, and this will be the first project in which Highlands County contractors will get the new "local preference" advantage over out-of-county firms.

The policy, adopted by the county commissioners Tuesday, awards a contract to the lowest Highlands County business as long as the price is no more than 2 percent to 5 percent higher than the lowest out-of-county bid, depending on the size of the contract.

For a contract of about $400,000, a local business would have a 4 percent advantage in the competition for the job.

Gavarrete noted that the county's cost for this project was reduced by about $80,000 because housing developer Ram Ayra offered to pay for the design and permitting for this road improvement. The value of his donation is about $80,000, Gavarrete said.

Ayra plans to build housing in a horseshoe-shaped development around the Memorial Elementary School grounds.

"He understands that it (Memorial/Valerie improvement) will help his project, but he didn't have to do it," Gavarrete said about Ayra's donation.

The Memorial/Valerie intersection is a busy crossroads, but Gavarrete said the opening of the new school nearby is just one of the reasons that he's adding turning lanes for better traffic flow there.

More housing development is expected in that area, due to several large comprehensive plan amendments having been approved by the county commissioners over the past several years, Gavarrete said.

"We're not just addressing the present needs," Gavarrete said. "When I do something, I like to do projects that will address future needs, too, and that's what we're doing there."

The county engineer's office also is going ahead with one major sidewalk project, by the Sebring Wal-Mart.

Sidewalks will be installed along the south side of Schumacher Road, in front of Wal-Mart, from Corvette Road east to U.S 27.

Jim Konkoly can be reached at 863-386-5855 or e-mail jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

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