Hernando, Citrus planners to review road, bike priorities at public meetings

Hernando County’s next round of road and bike priorities is moving toward the public meeting table, with County Line Road, US 41 and a downtown Brooksville one-way-pairs conversion already showing up on the draft list that could shape future transportation spending.

The Hernando-Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization scheduled two meetings for Thursday, April 23, 2026, at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path, Room 166, in Lecanto. The Technical Advisory Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m., followed by a joint meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee and Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee at 10:30 a.m.

The technical agenda is packed with the work that usually determines which projects rise first. Members will review the February 26 regular and workshop minutes, hear updates on the Congestion Management Process and Complete Streets work, and consider traffic counts and level-of-service analysis for both Citrus and Hernando counties. The committee will also review the FY2027-FY2028 Unified Planning Work Program and the draft List of Priority Projects.

For Hernando readers, that draft list is the key item. The current and adopted priority lists include major corridor projects such as US 41 widening segments in Citrus County, County Line Road in Hernando County, and a downtown Brooksville one-way-pairs conversion item. The May 1, 2025 adopted list also includes Hernando County projects on CR 578/County Line Road, US 41/SR 45, US 41 at Lake Lindsey Road, Barclay Avenue and CR 485/Cobb Road.

The MPO’s planning work is not just an internal exercise. Its plans and programs are reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation, and the two-year Unified Planning Work Program helps guide how transportation dollars are spent. The draft FY2027-FY2028 work program entered public review on April 3 and is slated for Board public hearing and approval on May 7 at 1:30 p.m. in the Brooksville City Council Chambers, 201 Howell Avenue, Brooksville.

The broader planning process is also being updated around the county line. Kimley-Horn conducted 22 routine 48-hour machine traffic counts throughout Citrus County for the congestion-management work, while Benesch & Associates is presenting the status of the Congestion Management Process and Complete Streets update. The MPO was reapportioned in 2014 to include Citrus County, and its Board approved an apportionment plan on November 2, 2023, following the 2020 Census.

The 10:30 a.m. joint CAC and BPAC meeting will include the annual election of the bicycle-pedestrian chair and vice chair for 2026, along with the same planning items. The committees rotate leadership annually between Hernando and Citrus County member governments, underscoring how closely the two counties are tied in the same transportation pipeline.

The meetings are open to the public, and the agendas and backup materials are expected online about a week ahead of time. Residents needing ADA or language accommodations can direct questions to Bob Esposito at the Hernando/Citrus MPO office, 789 Providence Boulevard, Brooksville.