HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A recent deadly crash on State Road 50 has some drivers worried about the ongoing construction there.

What You Need To Know

  • State Road 50/Cortez Boulevard is being widened east of U.S. 301 in Hernando County

  • Eastbound traffic has a concrete shoulder on part of the road where a shoulder used to be

  • Some drivers say that leaves little room if something goes wrong

  • A 24-year-old was hit head on and killed last month near Richloam Clay Sink Road, east of U.S. 301, when a driver tried to pass another one in the construction zone

A 24-year-old was hit head on and killed last month near Richloam Clay Sink Road, east of U.S. 301. That’s a stretch where drivers say there’s no safe shoulder to pull off due to road work.

After the crash, Dade City resident Garett Jones reached out to Spectrum News about his concerns there.

Jones drives on State Road 50/Cortez Boulevard nearly every day. In fact, he was on it daily for eight weeks straight to drive to Orlando for cancer treatment.

“Every morning between 4:30 and 5:30 I made my daily trip on 50 for radiation treatment,” Jones said.

The once rural two-lane SR-50 is now being widened to a 4-lane road.

But that construction work means the shoulder for eastbound traffic is now replaced with a concrete barrier.

Jones feels that leaves little room if something goes wrong. He believes it was a factor in the deadly head-on crash last month.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) says a driver tried to pass another one in this area, which is a no passing zone, and then hit an oncoming car.

“I feel very sorry for that young man because his life had to end early. Because he couldn’t escape the oncoming car because there were no shoulders,” Jones said.

Jones is now thankfully done with his cancer treatment.

But like law enforcement and transportation officials always do, he’s urging drivers to slow down through construction zones like the one on SR-50.

He also wants to see change when it comes to how road work is done.

“I would like to see laws where in construction areas it’s a requirement to have a safety shoulder, especially on curves,” Jones said.