WESLEY CHAPEL
NEWS
Volume 29 Issue 16 August 3, 2021
Diverging Diamond Interrupted! milestones in order for it to remain on the project. One of those milestones needed to be met by June 28, but was not. That, apparently, was the final straw. In addition, on June 25, “D.A.B. notified FDOT they were demobilizing from the project,” according to FDOT spokesperson Kristen Carson. Carson said FDOT is working with the surety company, which is required to provide a replacement contractor, to complete the project. A message left by the Neighborhood News with D.A.B. vice-president Bill Bachschmidt was not returned.
By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Mike Moore says he remains haltingly optimistic. The District 2 Pasco County Commissioner who, before the project even began, had lobbied state legislators and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to move up the beginning and end dates of the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) construction at S.R. 56 and I-75, still thinks the interchange can be finished by the end of the year. “Of course I do,” he says. Chances are, however, that he would be unlikely to place a bet on his optimism. Unable to meet the milestones set forth by FDOT, D.A.B. Constructors was defaulted and removed from the DDI project in late June. At our press time, the project remains at a standstill, as FDOT seeks a different company to finish the job. So, what happened? Because of what he saw as a lack of acceptable progress on the interchange last year, Moore railed on D.A.B. Constructors at an October 2020 Board of
Covid-Related Troubles
At our press time, D.A.B. Constructors had stopped working on the I-75/S.R. 56 Diverging Diamond Interchange, and FDOT had defaulted the contractor. (Drone photo: FDOT)
County Commissioners meeting. The project, already over its original budget by nearly $15-million, seemed beset by malaise. Moore complained that he
rarely saw workers doing anything on his frequent drives through the intersection. As a result, FDOT announced that D.A.B. had to meet a number of
The DDI construction has been ongoing since early 2019, and had an original schedule of 800 days, which would have meant a completion date of April 2021. That didn’t account for delays due to rain and holidays, but Covid-19 caused major delays and shortages of materials for the project last year. Last fall, when Moore criticized the lack of urgency and the number of See “DDI Delay” on pg. 4
Bubba’s 33 Adds More Italian Specialties!
To check out all of the new menu items, see pages 36-37! Neighborhood News
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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News • Volume 29, Issue 16 • August 3, 2021 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
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