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Duette Road Solution Posed: State Plans to Resurface 19-Mile Stretch of S.R. 62

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By Laura Figueroa, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Jan. 24--DUETTE -- Of all the traffic accidents the Duette Volunteer Fire Department responds to on State Road 62, a majority of them deal with motorists losing control of their cars on the two-lane road and swerving onto the grassy ditches, says the department's chief Jim Leonard.

That problem may soon find a solution. The Florida Department of Transportation plans to resurface a 19-mile stretch of State Road 62, starting at U.S. 301 and extending toward State Road 37. The project would also add 5 feet of shoulder room on each side of the road, said Cindy Clemmons-Adente, public information director for FDOT.

Clemmons-Adente spoke about the project, which might start as early as July 2007, at Monday night's Duette Community Association Meeting.

"We've done the planning," Clemmons-Adente said. "Now we're moving into the design phase."

Resurfacing the 19-mile stretch will be done in three phases so planners can determine how to best direct the flow of traffic on the two-lane road.

The money for the project is part of a five-year work program funded by the state Legislature, Clemmons-Adente told the group. Much of the money would come from the state gas tax.

"In the long run this is going to be a good thing," Leonard said after the meeting. "Most of the calls we respond to are people dropping off the shoulder of the road. They lose control of their car and their first instinct is to snatch back. Adding the 5 feet of barrier will give them somewhere to pull off to."

Clemmons-Adente also spoke to Duette residents about a possible 130-mile east-to-west road stretching from I-75 near Mocassin Wallow Road to somewhere near the Okeechobee/St. Lucie County line.

The project is being studied, she told the group.

In other news:

-- Duette Community Association president Felicia Tappan announced plans to form a Duette Planning and Zoning Committee to assess the area's needs.

-- Leonard updated residents on an effort to create a special taxing district for the Duette Fire Department. The department has hired a lawyer, who drafted proposed legislation to create the district. The bill passed through the local delegation and could be proposed to the state Legislature in March. If approved by the Legislature the bill would go back to Duette residents for a local referendum. If approved by residents, the bill would need the governor's signature.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Bradenton Herald (Bradenton, Fla.)

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