Alachua County has delayed construction of NW 23rd Avenue until June, but the major rehabilitation of the road will come to the relief of many.  

The road serves as a major east-to-west corridor, and the 1.75-mile section from Northwest Baptist Church to Santa Fe College has drawn scrutiny from residents, county and state officials for its potholes and patches. 

In January, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved up to $8.9 million for the roadwork that will cover the 1.75-mile stretch. The work will include milling the top 1.5 to 3.5 inches of roadway and completely repaving the section. Turn lanes, a pedestrian crosswalk and a multi-use path will also be added as part of the total project. 

The county plans to redo the stop light at the intersection of NW 23rd and NW 83rd Street, leading to Santa Fe College, in 2026.  

Ramon Gavarrete, the county’s public works director, told the BOCC in an email that the contractor, VE Whitehurst, requested the delay following challenges with delivery of the drainage structures.  

Gavarrete told the commissioners that it’s good practice to not start on the asphalt work until the drainage work is finished. He told WUFT that the crews plan to do the work at night in order to keep traffic moving during the day. 

NW 23rd Avenue is one of several county road projects coming in 2024. Alachua County recently released a map that shows all its planned road construction until 2032. The map is part of the county’s effort to improve roadway conditions after years of underfunding.