Millions to rebuild road sought
Six miles near Tampa would take nearly all of department’s ’26 budget
Staff writer
Marion County commissioners are pondering a $4.2 million request from the road and bridge department to completely rebuild a stretch of 330th Rd. between Limestone and Quail Creek Rds.
Rebuilding it would mean ripping up the road entirely, laying new foundational material, and then paving over it with asphalt.
“That’s a lot of millions,” interim commissioner Dan Holub said. (Road and bridge’s general budget totaled $4.6 million as of June 30).
The six-mile stretch is, to put it mildly, in rough shape.
Potholes scatter across both lanes, washboarding rattles cars, and some asphalt has worn down to the foundation. A reporter noticed multiple vehicles having to swerve around the blemishes Tuesday in what basically is a makeshift obstacle course.
Interim chairman Kent Becker wondered whether the county couldn’t convert the asphalt that is there now to gravel.
Commissioner Jonah Gehring said the county could, then after a couple of years go back to asphalt.
If they were to lay new asphalt, county administrator Tina Spencer said, construction workers would have to cut rock ledges.
“But just leaving it as gravel, it wouldn’t make sense to do that,” Spencer said.
A blacktop cap on the existing road, road and bridge admin coordinator Doug Kjellin said, this would trap moisture, causing more potholes.
“Which would require us to work in the ditch to try and get the moisture away,” Kjellin said. “If it’s not capped with asphalt, it actually aerates naturally, and you don’t have those softer spots in the road causing problems.”
Two other asphalt roads lead to Tampa — one between Limestone Rd. and K-15, and another between 290th and 330th Rds. on Limestone Rd.
Commissioners decided to revisit the request during a meeting in coming weeks.
“If not next, then the following,” Becker said.
At Monday’s meeting, road and bridge superintendent Steve Hudson said he wanted the request to be accepted before the end of this year so that the cost of the project would not carry over into the department’s 2027 budget.
“That’s with no government [grant] funding or anything,” Hudson said. “That’s coming out of our pockets.”