NORTH PORT, Fla. — Drivers in North Port are going to have to find a different way around town starting next week, as the city is set to close parts of Price Blvd. due to erosion concerns.
The road is critical for many homes in and around the area, being one of the only roads that cuts directly through to US-41 to the south, and I-75 to the north.
City officials say that this is bound to create headaches for drivers in and around the area, creating more traffic on side roads cutting across to get to where they need to go.
The city says that the bridge is structurally sound, but they chose to close it for repairs now rather than waiting until things get worse.
Madison Heid, the Interim Communications Director for the City of North Port, says the closure will make things difficult for some emergency crews.
“They are doing a little bit of additional staffing, adding an extra rescue on the east side of town to be able to accommodate. And we’re also working with Charlotte County Fire as some mutual aid if we do need it," says Heit.
Paul Jackomin, who's lived in North Port for over twenty years, says the incident just serves as a reminder for why the city needs to widen Price Blvd.
“Unfortunately, the answer is a long drawn out process, and they’ve been trying to work on it for years - it’s widening this thing. I know Charlotte County had a similar problem with Midway Blvd., and if you’ve ever been down Midway Blvd. now, people have no front yards. But that had to widen it…and it’s the same thing here," says Jackomin.
When asked about future plans to widen the road, North Port officials say that a widening project is currently in the funding phase, and that the project will move forward once funding is in place.
If a bonding referendum is approved to be put on the ballot in November, and then approved by voters, that funding could be available much sooner.
