Federal package offers $17.5 million for several Polk County road projects
Polk County projects will receive millions of dollars in funding from a package of federal spending bills recently signed by President Joe Biden.
The $460 billion “minibus” legislation contained appropriations for four projects requested by Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland. It will provide $7.5 million for the Powerline Road extension in Haines City, $6 million for the FDC Grove Road to Northridge Trail bridge, $2 million for improvements to the North Lake Shipp Drive corridor in Winter Haven and $709,000 for the Polk County radio system.
The FDC Grove Road project is a planned bridge over Interstate 4 west of U.S. 27 to connect FDC Grove Road to the Northridge Trail. The project will allow local traffic to bypass that interchange by moving local north-south traffic on a route parallel to U.S. 27, according to the description in Franklin’s request.
The funding package contained two items for Polk County requested by Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Brandon. It will provide $2 million to the state of Florida for the widening and extension of Kathleen Road in the Lakeland area and $850,000 for the Polk County public safety radio system resiliency project.
The first project is an expansion of Kathleen Road to three lanes from Duff Road north to U.S. 98. The funding will support planning and environmental review for a project with an estimated cost of $100 million.
'It will double the road's capacity': Work begins on widening US 98 north of Lakeland
The radio system provides communications for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Fire Rescue, Polk County Public Schools, municipal police and fire departments, school guardians and other state and federal agencies, according to Lee’s request.
The federal legislation combined six budget bills to fund military construction, water development and the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
Gary White can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Federal package offers funds for Polk County road projects