The Sumter County Board of County Commissioners is having a ground breaking ceremony for the Morse Boulevard Construction Project on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 9:00 AM. The event will be held at the intersection of Morse Boulevard and San Marino Drive.

Construction is planned on Morse Boulevard from south of C-466 to the Morse Circle at El Camino Real.  Sumter County unified three separate projects that were originally scheduled to take place independently into one large construction project.  This was done to minimize impact to the motoring public within The Villages as well as save valuable fuel taxes.

The Board of Sumter County Commissioners awarded the contract to, C.W. Roberts Contracting on July 28, 2009.  The project is scheduled to begin on August 17, 2009 and be completed on or before November 24, 2009. 

The major improvements to be accomplished are:

• Installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of San Marino Drive

• Widening Morse Boulevard at San Marino Drive to facilitate dedicated left turn lanes
• Modification of the existing traffic signal at Rio Grande Avenue to facilitate new turn lanes
•  Addition of a dedicated north bound to east bound right turn lane at Rio Grande Avenue
• Widening of Morse Boulevard at Rio Grande Avenue to provide for a south bound to east bound left turn lane
• Construction of dedicated right turn lanes on the north and south leg of Morse Boulevard at C-466
• Repair of all distressed pavement
• Mill and resurface or resurfacing of the entire roadway with the project limits
• Construct new pavement marking plan throughout the entire project
• New pavement marking plan will provide wider cart lanes