FDOT secretary speaks to the choir

Three Gulf Coast road construction projects will be part of a group of big projects advanced in the new fiscal year, according to Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad. The projects are I-75 in Lee County, the Pinellas Bayway in Pinellas County, and the Veterans Expressway in Hillsborough County.

Speaking Aug. 5 in Marco Island at the Florida Transportation Builders' Association's annual convention, the secretary also announced that the agency plans to study three new road corridors that run through parts of the Gulf Coast: Hillsborough County to Duval County, Manatee County to St. Lucie County (East-West Heartland Parkway), and Collier County to Polk County (North-South Heartland Parkway).

Prasad made the announcements in conjunction with unveiling the agency's “Florida Transportation Vision for the 21st Century,” a plan that will lean on creative financing alternatives including public-private partnerships in an effort to complete more projects.

“Now more than ever, our nation needs entrepreneurs, businesses and the private sector to have the confidence to create and start their own businesses, and grow our economy,” Prasad told the group. “As you all know, transportation investment is a first step toward doing exactly that.”

Hallelujah!