Nothing is going to waste during the CR491 road widening project, officially named; County Road 491 Phase I Roadway and Regional Storm Water and Utility Improvements Project.  Thanks to project contractor Commercial Industrial Corporation (CIC) the project has become a “best practices” for construction debris repurposing.

During demolition of the vacant Circle K at the corner of CR491 and SR44 all copper, aluminum and steel went to Inter-County Recycling (ICR) located at 1801 W. Gulf to Lakes Hwy, Lecanto for recycling.  Concrete will be crushed at CIC’s material processing site, located in Reddick, Fla (Northwest of Ocala) and used for construction entrance pads to help eliminate soil from construction sites from eroding and tracking onto roadways during construction.

CIC is harvesting timber for logs going to make lumber, pulp wood for paper products, and mulch.  Anything that does not meet the requirements for those products will be chipped onsite and used as fuel wood at a facility in Brooksville. Asphalt millings from the existing roadway will be used as temporary driveways during the road construction project and will also be utilized by County crews for erosion control and road stabilization.

“This project reflects the County’s commitment to the environment and cost saving through recycling and repurposing project materials.” said Walt Eastmond, Citrus County Transportation Project Manager. County Road 491 Phase I Roadway and Regional Storm Water and Utility Improvements Project costs for road improvements and storm water will be $14.5M – 50% of the project construction cost paid by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) through a Transportation of Regional Impact Grant and a County Incentive Grant.  The remainder of the project is funded through County Impact Fees and Gas Tax. Water and waste water improvements will have a cost of $3.3M and will be paid through Utility revenue.

Motorists are advised to use caution in the area and to look for alternate routes. Anticipated date of project completion is December 2019.