HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A Lutz mother is desperate to get her baby to sleep and she says overnight road construction is not helping.
Loud road construction on the Veterans Expressway is keeping her family up all night.
“It’s really tough,” said Lisa Barakat. “My son is waking up multiple times because the house literally shakes. The entire house is shaking. You hear the beeping, the noise.”
Barakat is talking about roadwork on the Veterans Expressway “Spur,” which connects the Veterans Expressway to Dale Mabry Highway.
But since December, she says the construction is going on right behind her townhome between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
She says it’s keeping her 9-month-old son, Caleb, awake during those hours.
A Lutz mother tells me she is desperate to get her 9-month old to sleep. But overnight construction on the Veterans Expwy has keeping her family up nearly ever night since December. I have the state's response in this week's Traffic Inbox, airing all day on @BN9 pic.twitter.com/do9Fm7wY4R
— Tim Wronka (@TimWronka) March 18, 2024
“You’re just so desperate for your baby to sleep,” Barakat said. “I’m holding him. I want to sleep. I’m sleep deprived. I’m feeding him in the middle of the night. I put him and down and then you hear the beeping and shaking all over again.”
And they’re not alone.
They live at the Avea Pointe Townhomes, where their neighbors also told Spectrum Bay News 9 they are experiencing the same sleepless nights.
But for Barakat’s family, the work is happening right on the other side of their fence.
They’ve tried reaching out to the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise about the disruption but haven’t had any luck.
“It’s been so frustrating. You almost want to scream over to them at 3 or 4 in the morning and say, ‘Can you guys please stop doing this right now?’” Barakat said.
Kerry French, communications outreach coordinator with the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, said in an email that the construction is for a resurfacing and safety improvement project on the Veterans Expressway Spur.
“We strive to complete projects while minimizing disruptions to nearby residents and travelers. Our project team performs as much work as possible during the daytime, but certain activities are scheduled at night to maintain traffic flow during peak travel times. Our construction approach allows for timely completion of the project, minimizing long-term impacts to the community and traveling public,” French wrote.
He also added that the current overnight paving is expected to be complete by the end of March. Crews will then move to Dale Mabry.
Barakat hopes that is the case and that her baby can get some sleep.
“It’s just going in circles going nowhere. A desperate mom is desperate for some help,” Barakat said.