At the April 10, 2018 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, Hernando County Engineer Scott Herring advised the board that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has accelerated construction of the roundabout at US Hwy 98 and Citrus Way (CR 491) due to the accident history at that location. FDOT came to the Department of Public Works with a proposal to include landscaping as part of the construction, with the understanding that Hernando County be in charge of maintenance.
The design phase of the project was originally slated to begin between fiscal years 2019-2020, and construction beginning during the 2022 fiscal year. However, after additional safety review and evaluation of the intersection, FDOT moved this project’s timeline, with Preliminary Engineering funding being added during this fiscal year (2018) for the design of the project and construction funds will be added to the fiscal years 2019 and 2020.
According to Herring, FDOT can build in landscaping after the construction of the roundabout, for which they will be responsible to maintain. Herring recommends this course, since his staff is unable to provide the needed maintenance, and it would need to be contracted through an outside agency.
Commissioner John Allocco motioned to decline FDOTs offer, which was seconded by Commissioner Jeff Holcomb. The board voted unanimously against the proposal.
