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    Residents ‘dead set’ against
    proposed $3 million bridge

    Posted on March 15, 2023

    More than a dozen Steinhatchee residents filled the Taylor County Commission chambers at its March 6 meeting to speak out against a $3 million bridge being proposed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to replace a small, one-lane wooden bridge on Granger Drive that was closed in 2019 due to safety concerns. Shown above, Michael Williams (far left) addresses the commission, outlining the objections that many local residents have with the proposal.

    In May 2019, a group of Steinhatchee residents implored the Taylor County Commission to either repair or replace the wooden, single-lane bridge crossing a canal on Granger Drive, stating that its closure was a safety hazard for nearby residents when flooding occurred in the area.

    Now, four years after the commission agreed to instead seek state funding to replace the bridge, many of those same residents are now asking the county commission to step in and stop a $3-million-plus federally-funded bridge proposed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), citing concerns over the high cost to taxpayers, pedestrian safety, encroachment on neighboring properties, possible environmental damage, increased crime in the area and the historical value of the existing bridge.

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