Roads shape county's future, so budget accordingly

State Sen. Mike Fasano likes to boast of his ability to bring the bacon home to his district. Now the New Port Richey Republican has a chance to prove his pork acumen.

Senate President Tom Lee on Monday named Fasano chairman of the Senate's Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee. It means Fasano will help shape the state budget on roads, work force and business development.

It is the transportation element that is most attractive for the fast-growing counties in Senate District 11.

Fasano should aim to duplicate the performance of Rep. David Russell Jr., R-Brooksville. In late 2002, as chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Russell helped the Department of Transportation find $18-million to contribute to the widening of County Line Road - enough to finish the first 21/2 miles of the project from U.S. 19 to Cobblestone Road in Spring Hill.

Tuesday, Fasano pointed to County Line Road, adding a right-hand turn lane on U.S. 19 through Pasco County, and controlling runoff into Kings Bay in Citrus County as top priorities. It's a good start, but there is much more to be done. Consider the road-building slowdowns in the region for the past four years:

Higher than expected right of way costs for State Road 54 (the state budgeted $11-million, but spent $28-million) forced the DOT to delay widening SR 54 from Seven Springs to Gunn Highway until this year. It also pushed back widening of State Road 52 east of Moon Lake Road and multi-laning U.S. 41 north of Tower Road in Land O'Lakes.

Florida's generous condemnation laws contribute to the escalation of right of way costs. They increase 10 percent annually, effectively doubling every seven years. That price tag is scary considering it takes a minimum of eight years to turn pencil drawings on paper into asphalt ready to carry motorists.

The delays are confounding. An inadequate east-west road network segregates population centers, stymies economic development, and keeps Pasco County as little more than a massive bedroom community for Tampa and Pinellas County. As people from Tampa Bay continue to migrate north, especially along the corridor created by the Suncoast Parkway, Hernando County's population base is experiencing the same change.

Russell, who is entering his last two years in the House, was named Tuesday as chairman of the House Infrastructure Council, which oversees committees for transportation, growth management, spaceport and technology, and tourism.

Like Fasano, he is in a position to wield considerable influence over road projects in the region. In his home county of Hernando, for example, Russell could work to pursue expedited state funding of several long-range projects, including: six-laning State Road 50; right of way acquisition on County Line Road from Cobblestone Road to Mariner Boulevard; six-laning Interstate 75 from Pasco County to Sumter County; realigning U.S. 98 along Cobb Road west of Brooksville; and creating a two-lane divided highway on U.S. 41 from Howell Avenue and Jefferson Street. Right of way costs for those improvements should be the top priority.

Legislators should take their cue from the electorate. A majority of Pasco voters, for instance, indicated a willingness to increase the local sales tax to pay for, among other things, better roads. The Penny for Pasco spending plan includes $22-million to replace the Interstate 75 overpass over County Road 54/State Road 54; $13.3-million toward channelized medians along Pasco's stretch of U.S. 19; and new turn lanes at eight of the county's most accident-prone intersections.

For the past six years, the Hernando County Commission has devoted much attention to repaving residential roads. The commission has dedicated $2-million a year from the general budget to fund the program, and it also has set aside a portion of the revenue from gas taxes to pay for road improvements. Like Pasco, it is unmistakable evidence that roads are a top priority for residents in this area.

While addressing senators, Lee, whose district includes a portion of east Pasco, called for planning for future needs in growing areas. Setting aside money for substantial right of way acquisition costs would be a prudent way to do just that.

Pasco County's long-range transportation plan, for instance, includes only $1.5-million to buy rights of way after 2010, even though the plan entails $1.2-billion for highway expansion and $19-million for trails and sidewalks.

Failing to budget now for future needs will translate to further delays down the road. Fasano and Russell can work with the county commissions in their districts to help keep those costs down.

[Last modified November 17, 2004, 00:02:23]