News editor
Tampa residents have had a lot to complain about with 330th Road connecting the town with K-15 for about four years.
Marion County tore up the blacktop road that was in place but in deteriorating condition, and resurfaced it with rock to give the road time to get a good compacted base.
But the road gets lots of traffic, including heavy farm trucks going to and from Agri Producers Inc. The heavy truck traffic quickly causes washboards in the road, said Chris Costello, who divides his time between the Tampa State Bank branches in Tampa and Marion.
The rock road has caused lots of damage to windshields and tires, and dust has been a frequent problem.
“It blinds you,” Costello said, especially when meeting a big truck.
Relief is finally on the way, after multiple delays. In January, Marion County Commission signed a $1.9 million contract for Lafarge Construction to overlay the road with 6 inches of asphalt.
Commission Chairman Dan Holub said the project is estimated to be completed by July.
“I’m ecstatic,” Holub said. “We won’t have to close the road. They’ll do it one lane at a time.”
If the commission wants a model for a successful road project, Costello believes they can look at another road near Tampa for inspiration.
“If they get this done as good or better than 290th, it will be a good, dependable road,” he said.