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State explores SR 50 timetable
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer BROOKSVILLE -- County leaders and planners have talked about expanding State Road 50 from four to six lanes since the late 1990s. Now the state Department of Transportation is considering when the widening should occur. Department officials brought charts and maps to the government center Monday to show county officials what's in the works. "This meeting is for public officials to get a firsthand look at the limits of the project, what we have funded, and give us their input," project manager Mike Seifert said. Funding is in place to design six lanes for the section between Mariner Boulevard and the Suncoast Parkway, which the county has deemed its "main concern," Seifert said. No money is available yet for construction, county transportation planner Dennis Dix said, and the expansion could begin in five years at the earliest. "There is going to be a shifting of funds from U.S. 19 north of Weeki Wachee to State Road 50," Dix said. He noted that the stretch of SR 50 from Mariner to the parkway has the greatest need for widening. Traffic studies routinely show that congestion is worsening there, Dix said. "We're just trying to stay ahead of the game," he said. County commissioners had planned to review the initial study information Monday, but did not attend the session amid concerns that the meeting had not been properly advertised to the public. "I'm waiting for staff to come back and report to me," Commissioner Betty Whitehouse said. "There was some confusion on the Sunshine (Law adherence). The choice was, I'm not going to go down and see it." Commissioner Diane Rowden, still sensitive from an early 1990s prosecution for a Sunshine Law violation, also refused to go. "I thought it was just for me individually," Rowden said of the scheduled 1 p.m. meeting. "Then I found out it was for the whole board. . . . No way." Planning director Larry Jennings said the kickoff meeting was early in the process, and that commissioners and the general public would have several opportunities to learn more about the expansion. The DOT will have a public hearing some time next spring, Seifert said, to hear views and concerns. Over time, he said, the expansion will cover all of SR 50 between U.S. 19 and SR 50A east of Brooksville. Seifert did not expect that right-of-way acquisition would cost much, because the state already owns enough property surrounding the highway. The main land cost would be to build drainage retention ponds, he said, an alternative to deep ditches that might require costly utility line relocations. He did not have projections for the cost of widening SR 50. The state will study a 6-lane alternative, and also the possibility of doing nothing. It finished widening the road from two lanes to four in 1997. -- Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Hernando County government and can be reached at 754-6115. Send e-mail to solochek@sptimes.com.
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