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Project To Be Awarded

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By B.C. MANION, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

LUTZ - The contract for the design and construction of an interchange on the Suncoast Parkway at Lutz-Lake Fern Road is expected to be awarded next month.

It likely will be several months, however, before passersby notice activity at the site, said Joanne Hurley, a spokeswoman for Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, which oversees the Suncoast Parkway. That's because the contract being awarded for the work is a design-build contract, Hurley explained. "The first six months or so will be the design."

Christopher Warren, the deputy executive director and chief operating officer for the Turnpike Enterprise, is committed to having the interchange open before the new public high school opens on Lutz-Lake Fern Road, Hurley said. The high school is slated to open in the fall of 2009.

One advantage to this project has is that no additional right-of-way had to be acquired, Hurley said.

Acquiring right-of-way can be a lengthy part of any road project, but in this case the land needed for the interchange was purchased when the Suncoast Parkway was being planned. It was always anticipated that an interchange would be opened on Lutz-Lake Fern Road when traffic warranted it, Hurley said.

The Lutz-Lake Fern Road interchange will cost around $10 million, based on preliminary estimates.

In addition to the interchange and high school projects, Lutz-Lake Fern Road also is slated to be widened to four lanes.

The first phase of the project widens the road from 1,000 feet west of the Suncoast Parkway to the new school entrance. That phase will be completed before the new high school opens.
Design options for the second phase of widening Lutz-Lake Fern Road east toward North Dale Mabry Highway are still being studied, said Steve Valdez, spokesman for Hillsborough County.

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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