State Road 64 project overdue, over budget

EAST COUNTY — A resurfacing and expansion project along State Road 64 will be completed by the end of March, months late and over budget.

The 2.5-mile project, spanning from the Braden River to Interstate 75 has been delayed mostly by weather; construction began in March 2012 and was slated to finish in fall 2013.

“It’s a unusual to be this far past the projected completion time,” said Robin Stublen, communications specialist for the Florida Department of Transportation, the agency that funded the project. “It’s been a pain and an inconvenience. We are working diligently with the contractor (Better Roads Inc.) to finish the work as quickly as possible.”

The project’s cost, reflecting the extra work, has increased from $12.7 million to $13.2 million.

Construction has included expanding State Road 64 from four to six lanes and resurfacing and improving four intersections west of the Carlton Arms apartment community to Interstate 75: 43rd Street Boulevard East, 48th Street Court East, 57th Street East and 60th Street Court East.

Those intersections have received new signalization, turn areas, curbs, sidewalks, gutters and lighting.

The project should address future growth in East County, Stublen said.

Stublen said work to resurface State Road 64 continues.

The contractor still must apply the last layer of asphalt, which takes time to cool.

Work to State Road 64 also included adding five-foot paved bicycle lanes, building curbs and gutters with drainage swales, constructing sidewalks, planting landscaping and replacing existing traffic signals with mast arms and concrete poles.

Crews are working overnight from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays, to finish the work.

The remainder of the work will result in no road closures.

“We believe people will enjoy the result,” Stublen said of the project.

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].