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No Immediate Fix for SW 62nd Boulevard Road Conditions

Cars drive past the filled-in potholes and cracks. Permanent road repairs are not expected until after July 2016. Ronnie Socash / WUFT News
Cars drive past the filled-in potholes and cracks. Permanent road repairs are not expected until after July 2016. Ronnie Socash / WUFT News

Commuters who use SW 62nd Boulevard to travel between SW 20th Avenue and Newberry Road won't see progress on road repairs until July 2016.

The city of Gainesville is waiting until a project development and environment study is completed for renovations to start on the road, said Chip Skinner, a Gainesville Public Works spokesman.

Skinner said the city cannot begin work on the $45.2 million project, which will turn SW 62nd Boulevard from a two-lane road to a four-lane road, until after July 2016. Once the budget is approved, construction will begin.

The study will show potential environmental risks of the construction and how traffic from Interstate-75 will be relieved, he said. It was funded and commissioned separately to confirm the construction as a more permanent solution to constant repairs.

Many areas of the road are suffering from “alligator cracking,” which results when rainwater seeps into existing cracks and worsens them, he said.  Potholes are also a common sight while driving along the road.

Alachua County Public Works crews are routinely deployed to patch up these minor road blemishes. Even with continual repairs, the road’s condition is still below average, Skinner said.

The SW 62nd Boulevard extension will better facilitate movement for drivers through the Gainesville metropolitan area, Skinner said. Along with the expansion of the Butler Plaza shopping center, the improved roadway will allow for easier movement along more crowded areas in the west of the city. ​

Peta-Gay is a reporter for WUFT News who may be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org
Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org