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North Port’s Price Boulevard expansion aims to boost traffic capacity, hurricane resilience

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Updated  March 31, 2026 5:48pm EDT
North Port
FOX 13 News
Price Boulevard widening project continues

Price Boulevard widening project continues

For neighbors living along Price Boulevard, construction has become a familiar sight. It is a project that is more than a decade in the making, but for the city of North Port, it represents a vital step in the city's future. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

The Brief

    • The project aims to expand North Port’s Price Boulevard from two lanes to four, adding 10-foot multi-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists.
    • New underground drainage and four replaced box culverts are designed to prevent the type of washout seen during Hurricane Ian.
    • Construction is roughly one-third complete, with a final wrap-up expected by early 2028.

NORTH PORT, Fla. - For neighbors living along Price Boulevard, construction has become a familiar sight. It is a project that is more than a decade in the making, but for the city of North Port, it represents a vital step in the city's future.

The backstory:

Between Toledo Blade and Sumter boulevards, crews are nearly a year into a massive overhaul.

Dr. Russell Holtzclaw, who lives near the project, says he's used to it. 

"It’s part of progress," Holtzclaw said. "Things rarely stay the same. It either goes forward or backwards." 

Dig deeper:

As North Port’s population continues to grow, the infrastructure for both pedestrians and vehicles has needed improvements.

"We are moving into expanding the two lanes into the 4-lane configuration, we will have a lot more capacity for the traveling public," Sandra Boudreau, a senior project engineer with AECOM, said. "We will also have 10-foot multi-use paths on both sides of the road for all our pedestrians and bicyclists." 

The need for these improvements was soon felt in September 2022. Flooding from Hurricane Ian damaged critical stormwater infrastructure and washed away part of Price Boulevard.  

"It caused a lot of havoc in this area, specifically with the box culverts, which a lot of the storm drainage comes through naturally," Boudreau said. "It actually did a lot of damage to those box culverts which were repaired temporarily." 

By the numbers:

The project costs around $80 million. The project is funded through a bond approved by voters in 2022.  

"The improvements that are done here will allow for maximum flow capacity through these new box culverts and the storm system is getting many new ponds. The capacity improves, and we will not experience what we experienced during Hurricane Ian," Boudreau said. 

What's next:

Crews are currently about one-third of the way through the project. The project is estimated to be completed by early 2028. 

The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon through the city of North Port. 

North Port