MOUNT DORA, Fla. – Leaders in Lake County are considering whether to move ahead with plans to fund construction and reconstruction work for two roads in the Mount Dora area that were washed out in different storms.
Lake County commissioners on Tuesday approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to fund construction for Britt Road. A 100-foot section of the road collapsed in a washout during Hurricane Milton in 2024, making the road impassable.
Issues with access to the land around the road delayed efforts to rebuild it, and then it had to wait on grant funding.
[WATCH: Lake County approved to buy land needed for major Britt Road repairs]
According to the agreement commissioners approved Tuesday, the county has tentatively secured more than $3 million in funding. This would provide nearly $1.6 million in federal and state grants for the project and give the county chairman the authority to sign any final documents to avoid delaying construction.
Back in December, Commissioner Leslie Campione said she was hopeful people would start seeing repairs to Britt Road in March.
Meanwhile, Tuesday night in Mount Dora, the city council will decide whether to allow a construction company to install new infrastructure as part of necessary repairs to North Donnelly Street.
[WATCH: Lake County declares state of emergency after cities hit with up to 19 inches of rain]
The road, which is a main thoroughfare into the downtown area, collapsed after a storm that dropped up to 17 inches of rain last October. It also damaged some crucial drainage pipes.
The agreement up for approval Tuesday night would switch out a temporary line and install a 16-inch reuse main and a 16-inch water main for Donnelly Street between Limit Avenue and U.S. 441. This will hopefully prevent a future washout.
It’s expected to take 45 days to have the new reuse line in place and online.
However, it’s expected to take five to six months to install the new water main and finish the road reconstruction work once the project starts.
That meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday night at City Hall.