About 400 residents turned out Thursday night in Lecanto for a public hearing about the Suncoast Parkway II project.
The much-debated project would connect U.S. 98 in northern Hernando County to State Road 44 just east of Crystal Oaks in Lecanto.
The large crowd at the latest meeting was about half of those at previous meetings, most of those against the project.
According to Bay News 9's partner newspaper the Citrus County Chronicle, few of the passionately outspoken opponents or supporters showed up for the latest public meeting on the project.
Opponents have been adamant that the project will bring noise, congestion and traffic to a rural stretch of the county.
Some also say S.R. 44 and the Etna Turpentine Camp, a site near Sugarmill Woods on the National Register of Historic Places, is directly in the parkway’s route.
Public comments on the project will be accepted through July 6. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.
For more information about the project or to provide written comments prior to July 6, go to suncoast2online.com.