County Line Road: A Positive Step Forward

A recent statement by the county's public works department announcing an update on road improvement projects throughout Hernando County was welcome news to the travelers of County Line Road. People traveling County Line Road have been waiting years for that key connector road to be widened in its entirety from U.S. 19 to U.S. 41.
For more than a decade, the county has been studying and planning improvements to this much traveled east-west road. But a lack of funds and snags between Hernando and Pasco counties in coordinating the improvements has produced endless delays. Finally, with the help of Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite, who has secured $4.8 million of federal funding in the six-year transportation bill passed in 2005, construction on the project will begin in 2009.
Improvements slated for the road will be from U.S. 19 to just east of Cobblestone Drive. The project sets in motion the reality of a roadway that could connect to Interstate 75.
Much of the industry that Hernando has now and, in the future, located at the airport industrial park and business park, relies on good transportation links. One of the highest priorities they evaluate is its transportation network. That evaluation, while not the only consideration, can be a deciding factor whether or not a business chooses Hernando for its business location.
With the county looking to expand its industrial and manufacturing base to provide higher-paying jobs and a broader tax base, the widening of County Line Road is a positive step forward.
The Turnpike District has seen the value of this road as a feeder to the Suncoast Parkway and has allocated funding to this project.
While it has taken a good deal of time, it was well worth the wait and hopefully construction can move ahead quickly.