Road Work May Cause Delays, Noise

Road workers will begin cleaning the storm drains under Woodland Boulevard later this month, causing periodic lane closures and noise from vacuum trucks working overnight.

File art/FDOT

The Florida Department of Transportation will spend $1 million to remove dirt and debris from the drain pipes and install liners to extend the life of the pipes between State Road 92 and Beresford Avenue, said FDOT spokeswoman Carolyn Fitzwilliam.

Fitzwilliam said the project will take place between late January and June, and will occur in stages, although she did not know exactly when it would impact the stretch of Woodland through Stetson University. The workers will set up traffic cones about 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. nightly and close one lane of Woodland, causing periodic traffic delays. The workers will use a vacuum truck to remove debris from the pipes through the manholes.

“It’s not a very long closure,” she said. “It might take one or two nights, and then they will move to the next spot.”

The road department wanted to notify the Stetson community about the work because the vacuum trucks can make noise, which students might hear in residence halls along Woodland Boulevard.

“I don’t think it would be (louder) than a truck going down Woodland, but it’s sustained for several hours,” she said. “Sometimes, night noise is more detectable.”

State road officials have shared Stetson’s academic calendar with the contractor, Shen-Line, LLC, and asked workers to minimize impacts to students in the residence halls. The road officials also asked the contractor to consider conducting the work during Stetson’s spring break, March 6-10, although there’s no guarantee the work will occur then, she said.

After a video inspection of the pipes, workers may return and insert a liner to extend the life of the pipes. If sections of pipe are too damaged, they would be replaced, she added. FDOT will keep the Stetson community updated on the project.