County Board to discuss letter to FDOT at upcoming meeting

The Marion County Commission meets in the County Commission auditorium at the McPherson Governmental Complex in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted December 16, 2021 | By James Blevins
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The Marion County Board of County Commissioners (MCBOCC) will officially discuss its draft of a letter to be sent to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) concerning the Northern Turnpike Extension at its regular meeting next Tuesday.

As it promised during the Dec. 7 board meeting, the MCBOCC’s letter addressed public concerns regarding the turnpike expansion, pointing out specifically that the county’s adopted comprehensive plan prohibits “the development of expressways or toll roads within the Farmland Preservation Area.”

Addressed to Project Manager William Burke, the letter encouraged FDOT to demonstrate how the planned extension would “enhance the traffic flow on I-75 and the major corridors in Southwest Marion County such as CR 484, SR 200 and SR 40.”

It also asked that the FDOT “examine and evaluate” the MCORES’ recommendations made last year while making “every effort to avoid impact to existing developed residential subdivisions” as well as mitigating “any and all environmental impacts.”

Starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the MCBOCC meeting will take place at the McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium on Dec. 21. To read the letter, click here.