Alachua County plans a median on NW 43rd Street north of NW 23rd Avenue that would end some left turns. Residents can see the plans Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Millhopper library.

Alachua County plans to build a raised traffic separator down the middle of NW 43rd Street just north of NW 23rd Avenue. It would stop drivers turning left into and out of some of the driveways and side streets along that stretch.

The county’s Public Works department will show the plans at a drop-in meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18. The meeting is in Room B at the Millhopper Branch of the Alachua County Public Library, 3145 NW 43rd St. The county announced it in a release Monday, Nov. 9.

What the county plans

The separator would run from the NW 23rd Avenue intersection north to the existing median at NW 25th Place. The county said it will restrict left turns to and from “minor access points” along that section.

The aim, according to the county, is to reduce how often angle and left-turn crashes happen there and how serious they are.

The project is in design. The county gave no construction date or cost in its release.

The county’s project map shows the section between NW 23rd Avenue and NW 25th Place, past the Marketplace at Thornebrook and the Shoppes at Thornebrook Village. Its legend marks three kinds of proposed work:

  • median improvements down the center of the road
  • milling and resurfacing of the roadway
  • short sections of new concrete sidewalk

How the meeting works

It is an open house, not a hearing. The county said there will be no formal presentation. Residents can come at any time during the hour, look at the proposed changes and give feedback.

People who need an accommodation to take part can call the county’s Equal Opportunity Office at 352-374-5275 at least two business days before the meeting. TTY users can call 711.

What it means for you

  • If you drive this stretch, some left turns you make now into businesses or side streets between NW 23rd Avenue and NW 25th Place may not be allowed once the median is built. The map is the best guide to which ones.
  • If you have a view on it, the Nov. 18 meeting is the time to give it, while the project is still in design.
  • If you cannot attend, the county named James Flegert, its contracts and design manager, as the contact for questions: 352-548-1218.

Other county road projects under way in northwest Gainesville, including the NW 83rd Street work near Santa Fe College, are on our road work and closures page.