Alachua County announced Monday that it has started its $9.4 million construction project on NW 23rd Avenue, a road long cited as in disrepair.  

A delay with a contractor caused the project to be pushed back earlier this year.   

The work will extend east for 1.7 miles, from the I-75 overpass near Santa Fe College to just short of Northwest Baptist Church. The roadwork should finish by January 2025 and will include complete resurfacing, stormwater drainage systems and new turn lanes to reduce congestion.  

The project will also include a new pedestrian crosswalk and multi-use path.  

According to an Alachua County press release, most road work and lane closures will happen at night to minimize traffic impacts.  

“This is just one of the many major road projects residents will see taking place over the coming months around Alachua County,” Tom Strom, the county’s transportation engineering manager, said in a statement. “Thanks to several funding sources, including the voter-approved Wild Spaces Public Places surtax, Alachua County can now address many roadways in need of repair.”   

Alachua County residents approved a half-cent increase to the infrastructure surtax in November 2022. The new half cent will be used for roads, fire stations and housing. The other half of the surtax will continue to fund the Wild Spaces Public Places program.  

Alachua County has more than tripled its road budget for the coming years to address a road system that its public works manager called failing.  

Even with the influx of cash, the overall road system won’t improve according to the county’s pavement condition index. But many miles of road will get addressed. 

The county released a map showing which road projects will get funded each year for the next decade that the surtax is in place.