- April 23, 2024
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Working with local government officials and fronting funds for the East International Speedway Boulevard improvements are the ways to expedite the project's completion date, said Florida Department of Transportation District 5 Secretary Mike Shannon at the monthly Eggs and Issues breakfast program at the LPGA International Clubhouse on Thursday, May 10.
“To me, the best way to advance something is with a partnering opportunity,” Shannon said.
The planned improvements for East ISB include the restructuring and redesign of the corridor by adding improved signalized intersections at Halifax Avenue, Peninsula Drive and Grandview Avenue with a new roundabout at the intersection of A1A and East ISB. The city Daytona Beach contributed $750,000 for the FDOT project. The construction costs come to $6.3 million and the right-of-way is estimated to cost $17.81 million.
“For the department, the right-of-way is really the controlling phase of this," Shannon said.
If local officials can come up with the right-of-way and do it in a manner that can be transferred to FDOT, the two-year right-of-way phase can be shortened, Shannon said. Contributing more funds would also help fast-track the road project.
He added that when he first visited Daytona Beach, he was disappointed despite having heard great things about the beach. Shannon said the project will turn East ISB into a great entryway for the area.
“It had gotten aged, so it’s been great to see the development and growth and renewal of Daytona Beach, and I think this is a big part of it.”
FDOT has spent $460 million for infrastructure in Volusia County from 2013-2017, Shannon said. In their upcoming 2018-2023 work cycle, they plan to spend $206 million. Ongoing projects such as the I-95 interchange improvement, which is widening the highway from four to six lanes from north of State Road 44 to north of U.S. 92, continue to move forward. That project is expected to be completed in 2019.
Shannon also touched on the addition of intelligent transportation systems, including dynamic and blank-out signs, along ISB, Beville Road, LPGA, Granada and U.S. 1. The widening of Williamson Boulevard from Hand Avenue to LPGA is also in the works, with FDOT putting in $2 million and an additional $2 million coming in from an economic opportunity growth grant fund.
As for increased levels on traffic on roads such as Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach and Dunlawton Avenue in Port Orange, Shannon said FDOT is aware of the issues.
“[Residents] really need to work with their locals to make sure that it’s a priority for the area, and that the local agencies know that it’s a priority so we can get in our priority process to start working on this," Shannon said.
