$13.1 million Howland Blvd upgrade gets green light

Posted On: April 7, 2020

The last two-lane section of Howland Boulevard, an approximately two-mile stretch between Providence Boulevard and Elkcam Boulevard, is going to be widened to four lanes.

On Tuesday, the Volusia County Council awarded a $13.1 million construction contract for this key transportation artery through Deltona. The project was awarded to Masci General Contractor, Inc. of Port Orange, the lowest bidder of the three companies that competed for the contract. The road widening will account for approximately $11.5 million of the contract cost. With the rest of the money, the City of Deltona and the county will upgrade their water and sewer utility lines within the corridor. The project is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete.

County officials were elated at Tuesday’s action, saying that it not only will improve a key transportation corridor, but also demonstrated to Deltona that the county had kept its word to see the project through.

“We’re meeting our commitment to the City of Deltona,” said County Manager George Recktenwald. “Here we are again, meeting our commitment – doing what we said we would do.”

“We committed to Deltona, and I want to thank staff for coming through with this,” added Council member Deb Denys. “This is a big issue, and it’s a big deal for commitment with our cities and our citizens.”

Denys then went on to read a message of thanks that she said she had received from Deltona City Commissioner Chris Nabicht.

“I commend the Volusia County Council and the county manager and his staff for their vision and leadership,” Denys quoted Nabicht as saying. “But most of all, I’d like to acknowledge the newfound spirit of cooperation between our city and the county. It’s through this common good approach to problem-solving that our citizens win.”