Commission backs FDOT plan for State Road 29; DOT outlines timing, safety fixes

The Henry County Board of County Commissioners voted July 22 to express formal support for the Florida Department of Transportation's planned improvements to State Road 29, a reconstruction project FDOT officials said is intended to improve safety, pedestrian access and corridor resiliency. The board adopted a resolution after FDOT staff described both near-term fixes and a larger, multi-phase project that includes a bridge replacement and downtown safety measures.

Nicole Mills, FDOT director of transportation development, told commissioners her team has already approved a 1.25-mile extension of a no-passing zone through Felda and is reducing the posted maximum speed in parts of the community to 55 mph; she said signs and pavement markings remain to be installed by contract. "The extension is warranted," Mills said, adding FDOT will monitor the new limits and could lower them further if the data and enforcement needs support it.

FDOT also reported it will study pedestrian crossings and lighting on U.S. 80 and at neighborhood intersections the county flagged as hazardous. Mills said short-term measures such as advanced warning signage and rumble strips are possible while long-term options'including relocated crosswalks, mast-arm signals and median modifications'are evaluated and added to funding cycles.

Eric Weichart, a consultant working on FDOT's SR 29 PD&E (project development and environment) studies, presented the larger corridor concept: maintaining two- and three-lane sections downtown, adding a shared-use path, improving drainage, and replacing the aging bridge over the river. He said the DOT is looking at breaking the program into smaller construction packages so funding can be staged; the earliest targeted start for some downtown elements is fiscal 2029 with larger pieces later in the plan horizon. "This corridor is part of the SIS facility," Weichart said, referencing the state's Strategic Intermodal System, and stressed the project's role in evacuation and freight connectivity.

Commissioners and residents pressed FDOT about mine-related truck traffic, speed limits near Felda, the siting of a midblock crosswalk in LaBelle, and the timing of expensive signal or lighting upgrades. Mills said FDOT had no pedestrian crash records for one requested crossing between 2015 and 2024 and that counts and seasonal camera surveys will guide further decisions. On funding, she warned the department's available money has shrunk because of statewide revenue shifts; she said DOT is trying to reprogram projects and evaluate options to accelerate high-priority segments.

After the presentation, Commissioner Glaser moved and Commissioner Howard seconded a resolution expressing the board's support for the SR 29 improvements. The motion carried; county staff will mail the signed resolution to FDOT. FDOT staff said they would provide the presentation and the crash and lighting-justification reports to commissioners on request.

The resolution directs FDOT to proceed with planning and encourages coordination with county staff during design and construction. It does not obligate the county to fund the whole program. FDOT and county staff agreed to coordinate on traffic timing, turn-lane needs when the mine opens, and to share lighting and crash analyses with county emergency services and the sheriff's office.

Commissioners said they would follow up on specific short-term items FDOT identified, including expedited pavement work on County Road 833 and additional lighting studies at Flag Hole and Evercane intersections.