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It's funny how you don't notice tiny details until they're missing.
The county's public works folks did a nice job repaving Old Lakeland Highway about a month and a half ago. That's out northeast of Zephyrhills where Chancey Road turns north past County Road 54 and heads toward Dade City.
But what about the neat white stripes in the road, a reader wants to know. What about the little reflectors in the road? For weeks and weeks there were no stripes and reflectors.
Well, they were being installed last week. There's a reason it took that long.
Scott Ewald, supervisor of Pasco County's Sign Shop, explained that it takes 30 to 45 days for the new asphalt to "cure." So even after the road was repaved, it wasn't quite ready for the final touches.
It couldn't happen soon enough.
It's amazing how treacherous a dark two-lane highway out in the country can be without those little markers in the road. Admit it: You never thought about those things. But take a look next time you're on a dark highway. The reflectors give you early warning about twists and turns up ahead. The white stripes tell you when it's safe to pass. They keep you in your lane, and more important, they keep the other cars in theirs.
There's no telling how many collisions are prevented by the stripes and reflectors, but we at the Drivers' Side would rate them up there with stain-resistant khakis and cup holders in terms of great inventions that don't get their due.
Old Lakeland Highway is a lot smoother and prettier now that it has been resurfaced. Now it's safer, too.
Last week, the county started painting the stripes and sticking the reflectors in the middle of the road.
Red light, green lightWhen will Gator Lane and U.S. 41 get a traffic signal? One reader who drives there every day wants to know.
The intersection in front of Land O'Lakes High School and the School Board office has been a traffic hot spot for years. But only at certain times of the day.
The intersection has been incredibly, unbelievably, unbearably congested just before school starts at Land O'Lakes High School. Then . . . quiet.
The same pattern repeated itself just after school let out. Horrible, frantic, watch-where-you're-going traffic. Then . . . calm.
Imagine that! High school students in a big rush to get to school at the last minute, then in a rush to get out after the last bell rings.
That pattern ended a couple of years ago. That's when the Wilderness Lake Preserve opened across the street. There are 370 homes occupied now, and many more on the way. Wilderness Lake residents are pulling out onto U.S. 41 all day long.
So that brings us to the age-old question: What does it take to get a traffic signal?
The county went through its checklist and found that the intersection did, indeed, qualify for a traffic signal. There are enough cars going by. It's getting dangerous. Time for a traffic signal.
Bottom line? The project is now in the design stage. Expect to see a new signal sometime late this year or early next.
State Road 54 reduxA quick reminder.
Every time we write about progress on the State Road 54 widening project, some astute reader asks the next logical question: When will they widen the stretch of SR 54 between Gunn Highway and Little Road?
Work on the $20-million project is supposed to start in May. The much-maligned 5-mile stretch of road will expand from two lanes to six. But be patient. It's a 240-day job.
And while we're on the subject, the traffic on SR 54 between U.S. 41 and the Suncoast Parkway was rerouted last week. It's kind of odd. Only two lanes are open, but they are on each side of the grass median. It's yet another sign that the road widening job is oh so close to being finished. That $11.3-million job is supposed to wrap up later this month.
- Want to vent about traffic problems? Drivers' Side welcomes commuters' rants, comments and suggestions. Send e-mail to hegarty@sptimes.com or leave a phone message at 813-909-4610.