CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — As more and more folks move to Florida, it’s making the roads more crowded.

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That’s even being felt in places like Citrus County.

Al Barcena and his wife Elizabeth retired there in 2001. They’ve seen quite the change since.

“Citrus County is growing by leaps and bounds. Traffic is tripled from what is used to be,” Barcena said.

One spot in particular is frustrating to them: The intersection of US 19 and US 98 in Sugarmill Woods.

“My wife calls it a maze getting out of here. The traffic is coming from everywhere,” Barcena said.

Traffic congestion there combined with ongoing construction and new businesses, like a new 7-Eleven, have made navigating that spot difficult.

“People coming from Publix now have to fight with the traffic coming out of the 7-11, just to get out on US 19,” Elizabeth said.

They say they’ve tried to ask county officials about the issue but haven’t had any luck.

According to FDOT’s website on the project there, the road work should be completed this year.

The project is for repaving US 98, adding turn lanes and building a walking trail near the highway.

Al and Elizabeth hope that helps.

“Infrastructure needs to be improved. It’s not coping with the demand of the amount of people moving to this area,” Barcena said.

The construction ending should help with some traffic congestion there. The project started in 2021 and is estimated to finish this spring.