Local Leaders Celebrate Turkey Oak Drive Sidewalk Project
Local leaders celebrate “Safe Routes to Schools” ribbon cutting. (L -R: Missy Slanker, Citrus
County Chamber Ambassador; Chuck Dixon, Citrus County Schools Planning & Growth
Management Director; Principal Phillip McLeod, Crystal River High School; Zachary
Stringer, FDOT District 7 Construction Manager; Thomas Kennedy, Citrus County School Board; Austin
Petersen, FDOT District 7 Senior Construction Manager; Chief Dave Vincent, Citrus County Schools
Police Department; Walt Eastmond, Citrus County Transportation Project Manager; Veronica
Kampschroer, Citrus County Public Information Officer; and Chris Delgado, Citrus County Chamber
Ambassador.)
New sidewalks were installed, and existing sidewalks improved on N Turkey Oak Dr as part of
the Safe Routes to School program.
New guardrail was installed on N Turkey Oak Dr as part of the Safe Routes to School program.
Local leaders gathered at the entrance to Crystal River High School on Tuesday morning, May 17,
2022, to hold a brief ceremony and ribbon cutting to celebrate a successful conclusion to the N.
Turkey Oak Drive Sidewalk project.
Costing approximately $1.9 million for design and construction, the project was federally funded
through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program. SRTS
promotes walking and bicycling to school through infrastructure improvements,
safety education, and more.
Walt Eastmond, Citrus County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Transportation Project Manager,
noted during the ceremony that the project was a team effort. “I would like to thank the Citrus
County School District for jointly submitting the grant funding application with the BOCC,
FDOT for their management and implementation, and Citrus County Public Works staff for their hard
work on this project,” said Eastmond.
The project, which was completed and accepted from the contractor by the Florida Department of
Transportation on April 25, 2022, constructed a 5-foot sidewalk along N. Turkey Oak Dr
between State Road 44 and N. Bay Ave, with most of the new sidewalk added between SR 44 and the
high school. Other project features included improving pedestrian crossings, replacing
pedestrian signals, repaving the N. Turkey Oak Dr / SR 44 and N. Turkey Oak Dr / N. Citrus Ave
intersections, guardrail installation, and other roadway safety improvements.
Additional project information and photos are available on the project webpage:
https://www.fdottampabay.com/project/404/441104-1-52-01.