Local Leaders Celebrate Turkey Oak Drive Sidewalk Project

Turkey Oak Safe to Schools
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.)

NewSidewalk
New sidewalks were installed, and existing sidewalks improved on N Turkey Oak Dr as part of 
the Safe Routes to School program.

Guardrail
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.