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Price Blvd. closing as road project gets underway to fix erosion

NorthPortRoadworkMap.jpg
Posted at 6:55 AM, Jun 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-20 07:25:31-04

NORTH PORT, Fla. — Work begins Monday on a busy road in North Port.

Part of Price Blvd. will be closed this week, between Salford and Cranberry Boulevards, to fix some issues with erosion.

The city has said they understand this closure is going to cause a lot of headaches for drivers, as it's the only road that cuts directly thru to US-41 and I-75. The closure is going to cause more traffic on side roads as drivers detour to get where they need to go.

According to the city, the bridge itself is structurally sound. They chose to close it now so they could get started making repairs before things got any worse.

We spoke with one North Port resident who thinks the solution may take a little more time than believed.

“The answer is a long drawn out process, and they've been trying to work on it for years - it's widening this thing," says Paul Jackomin, a 20-year North Port resident. "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.”

The city has told us that a widening project is currently in the funding phase. Once that funding is in place, a project will move forward.

Funding could come sooner rather than later if a bonding referendum is approved to be put on the ballot in November. It would then have to be approved by voters.

The city says they will be posting updates on whether they will need additional time to make repairs to the bridge or if they end up finishing their work early.