Open house set on Veterans Expressway widening

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published July 23, 2006

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State transportation officials will hold an open house Aug. 1 to inform the public about plans to widen the Veterans Expressway from four to eight lanes between Memorial Highway and Van Dyke Road.

The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center at 13009 Community Campus Drive along the north side of Gunn Highway east of the expressway.

The open house will follow an informal format. People can attend anytime during those two hours.

They'll be given written information, watch a brief audio-visual demonstration, and can review various maps and drawings on display. Officials with the project team will be on hand to answer questions.

Transportation officials say widening the toll road from four lanes to eight will alleviate traffic congestion. But some residents in Town 'N Country and the surrounding areas say the harm of widening the road outweighs the benefits.

State turnpike officials had estimated the cost of the project at $150-million and scheduled it for sometime after 2010. But last month, Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed a bill that would have allowed Florida's Turnpike Enterprise more borrowing flexibility, the key to financing the widening, possibly delaying the project further.

For more information about the widening project, go to the Web site at www.veteransexpresswaywidening.com or call (813) 558-1117, ext. 12.