When the Florida Department of Environmental Protection acquired the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park, they saw an opportunity to preserve a piece of Florida’s natural and cultural heritage. Integrating it with the adjacent Silver Springs State Park was just the beginning.
As the park evolved, so did the needs of the surrounding area. The future widening of SR 40 brought new challenges, particularly the need to mitigate the impact on the park. Mead & Hunt designed two additional boardwalks and timber bridges in Silver Springs State Park as a mitigation commitment associated with park impacts related to the widening of SR 40. These two projects are under construction by Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and are referred to as the Fort King and Half-Mile Creek sites. Both required significant coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office and careful consideration of the park’s archaeological resources.
The team’s work included a comprehensive Phase III Archaeological Site Mitigation Plan, which involved the excavation of four areas, each measuring 2.0 meters by 2.0 meters. Mitigation included developing and installing interpretative panels telling the story of life on the Silver River through time. The goal was not just to preserve the past but to tell its story to future generations.
