BUNNELL, Fla. – Flagler County Public Works crews have started on a $2 million road widening and resurfacing project to accommodate bike lanes along John Anderson Highway.
The 14-week project by Flagler County Road and Bridge will include adding 5 feet to each side of the road, widening the road base and resurfacing and restriping the entire roadway from State Road 100 to the Volusia County line.
There will also be improvements to the road surface where it connects into driveways.
County Engineer Faith Alkhatib mailed a letter to residents along the highway in December to inform them of the upcoming construction.
As a result of the additional bike lanes and shoulders, residents may need to move their mailboxes.
The project start date had to be pushed back from February to March to relocate gopher tortoises that lived along the highway.
A Florida Department of Transportation grant will cover $1.74 million of the project.
"Because we are doing most of the work in house, we might not have to pay anything out of pocket," Road and Bridge Manager Bob Atack said. "We are doing all the work except for the asphalt and striping work."
The asphalt and striping work will be done by Halifax Paving, which was awarded a $1.05 million contract to complete the job.
Atack's goal is to keep the county's portion of the work within the $690,000 difference and the total FDOT grant amount.
"If I can get our work done for the difference, we won't have to use local gas tax funds to cover any of the construction costs," Atack said.
The project should be completed by mid-July.