Price Boulevard Widening Project

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Latest Updates 

UPDATE - March 19, 2025:

The North Port City Commission on Tuesday approved the construction contract for the much-anticipated Price Boulevard Widening Project, solidifying an April 2025 start.

The agreement for the estimated $80 million project was reached with Watson Civil Construction, Inc., following a competitive bid process.

The work covers a 2.75-mile stretch from east of Sumter Boulevard to west of Toledo Blade Boulevard. The scope of work includes expanding the roadway from two to five lanes, which includes a continuous center turn lane; adding multi-use paths on each side of the road; installing a new closed drainage system; improving the utilities system and signalized intersections along the corridor.

"We are thrilled to see this project finally come to fruition," North Port City Manager Jerome Fletcher said. "This needed widening will not only help alleviate traffic, but strengthen our evacuation routes and clear the way for emergency responders, creating a safer community."

Voters approved a referendum in 2022 to borrow up to $80 million in bonds payable with Sarasota County penny sales tax funds to widen the road. While the referendum authorized borrowing up to $80 million, the City secured bonds at $53.835 million to align with available surtax revenues required for repayment. This responsible approach ensured the City obtained an excellent interest rate while maintaining its strong bond rating. 

The imminent need to improve Price Boulevard became clearer after significant weather events, including Hurricane Ian in 2022 and subsequent heavy rain events that impacted Price Boulevard. In October 2023, a section of Price required emergency repairs due to damage caused by over 5.5 inches of rain in just two hours.

The project's redesign was completed in early 2024 after modifications were made to the proposed waterway crossings to increase their resiliency to future storms, incorporating lessons learned from Hurricane Ian. Since then, City staff have been finalizing the permitting, developing documentation for the bond with our outside financial advisors, and securing additional state funding to help pay for the project. Additionally, the construction bid was advertised, and the resulting contract was drafted and approved.

Construction will take place on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. to limit impacts to neighbors and comply with City Code. The City intends to follow a traffic plan that minimizes disruptions to the greatest extent possible. Except for intermittent road and sidewalk closures that are necessary to construct the waterway crossings, the road is expected to remain open to traffic throughout construction.

The City is committed to keeping residents informed throughout construction. For more information or to sign up to receive email updates on the Price Boulevard Widening Project, visit NorthPortFL.gov/Price. Residents can call the dedicated project voicemail box at 941-240-6960 or email PriceWideningInfo@NorthPortFL.gov

 

PREVIOUSLY:

The City of North Port is one step closer to beginning construction on Price Boulevard after reaching an agreement with the selected bidder for the project. Pending City Commission approval of a contract, construction is projected to begin April 2025.

Oct. 29, 2024:

As the bid process continues for the Price Boulevard Widening Project, we thought we’d break down what that looks like:

First, what is a bid? The process can be defined as a structured and regulated procedure designed to ensure fairness, transparency and the efficient use of public funds when awarding contracts for various projects.

The Finance Department advertised the official bid 2024-28 for the Price Boulevard Widening Project on Sept. 3, 2024.

A mandatory pre-bid meeting occurred on Oct. 2, 2024, and was well-attended by various contractor and specialty representatives.

The official bid opening is Dec. 4, 2024. This means all proposals must be submitted on that date to begin review with the Finance Department. The opening was scheduled for Nov. 4, 2024, but was pushed back due to back-to-back hurricanes.

After completing this process, an award recommendation will be drafted and forwarded to Grants in coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for review and approval.

Once a submittal is chosen, it will be brought to the City Commission for review and approval at a future meeting.

We anticipate work beginning in early 2025; however, it will not immediately look like a construction site. We will keep you in the loop when lane closures and other changes occur.

North Port’s Aa2 bond rating and low debt position generated significant interest in this competitive financing opportunity. The Finance Department secured an excellent rate for the residents of North Port through this process. The bonds were competitively awarded to Jefferies, LLC, which submitted the lowest bid, achieving a True Interest Cost (TIC) of 3.306908%. The bonds successfully closed on October 23, 2024.

Sept. 3, 2024

The Price Boulevard Widening Project went out to bid for construction. Bids will be accepted for 60 days, after which time a contractor will be selected according to the City’s purchasing guidelines. A construction contract will be presented to the City Commission for approval this winter. Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 and take 24-36 months to complete.

July 20, 2024

The City hosted a successful open house to provide an opportunity to learn more about the project. City staff was on hand to help answer questions, and 87 residents ended up attending.

Feb. 27, 2024

Engineering and Inspection firm AECOM contract was approved by the City Commission.

Project Features

  • Four travel lanes/two in each direction
  • A continuous bi-directional center left lane
  • A ten feet wide multi-use path on each side of the roadway

 

By the Numbers

  • Price Boulevard widening from two lanes to four lanes between Toledo Blade and Sumter Boulevards
  • The project is approximately 2.8 miles in length
  • New traffic signal mast-arm infrastructure at three major intersections: Salford Boulevard, Cranberry Boulevard and Chamberlain Boulevard
  • All traffic signals including Sumter Boulevard and Toledo Blade Boulevard will be interconnected and synchronized
  • Five miles of culvert drainage pipe
  • Twelve drainage (stormwater) detention ponds
  • Emergency traffic signal to be installed at Citizens Parkway for Fire/EMS
  • 5.7 miles of Type "F" curb and gutter
  • Approximately 17,333 tons of asphalt
  • 195 drainage curb inlets
  • 6 of 10-foot-wide concrete multi-use path
  • 21,000 landscape plants (primarily around drainage ponds)
  • 248 streetlights
  • Bi-directional left-turn lane

 

What will the road look like?

You can see what the initial design of the road will look like projected over the current roadway by viewing the Price Boulevard Map Projection(PDF, 9MB).

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Temporary Construction Easement

Property owners on Price Boulevard will need to sign and return a Temporary Construction Easement and Right of Entry form, which gives the City temporary permission to access your property, primarily to remove and reconstruct a new driveway and do ancillary work to adjust your front yard to meet the new road and sidewalk. View an example of the Temporary Construction Easement and Right of Entry form(PDF, 130KB).

Frequently Asked Questions

 

More Information

For a review of the history and timeline of the Price Boulevard Widening Project, click here(PDF, 195KB).

To learn more information on the Price Boulevard Widening Project, call the dedicated voicemail box for the project at (941) 240-6960, email PriceWideningInfo@NorthPortFL.gov, or fill out the form below for the latest updates via email.

Sign up to Receive the Latest Price Boulevard Updates by Email