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Dr. Delay

Get off the dot to tell DOT your roads vision

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published May 8, 2005

Are you a futurist?

Do you have brilliant ideas about how to improve area roadways today and, say, 20 years into the future?

Do you have a burning desire to learn what the state has in mind for our roadways?

And how do they plan to spend $100-billion on transportation in the next 20 years, anyway?

The volume of mail and e-mail I receive about your concerns, questions, beefs and, every once in a while, words of praise, attests to the number of folks out there pondering the many mysteries of asphalt and guardrails.

So now's your chance to share your thoughts with the Florida Department of Transportation as they update plans for the next two decades. The DOT will host a public forum this Thursday at the DOT District 7 Office Auditorium at 11201 N McKinley Drive in Tampa from 5 to 8 p.m.

Input from citizens at the 2025 Florida Transportation Plan regional forums will help the DOT update its transportation plan which establishes long-range goals that will guide the investment of more than $100-billion in Florida's transportation system over the next 20 years. For more information about the forums, visit the DOT's Web site at www.ftp2025.com

Expect some delays in the traffic flow on Pasadena Avenue-66th Street from Park Street to Tyrone Boulevard beginning Monday. The new phase of the DOT construction project will last an estimated two months but the end result will be well worth it for those who travel the corridor regularly.

Here's what to expect: Construction crews will begin leveling the raised area of the abandoned railroad underneath the Pinellas Trail this week. The DOT says that motorists can expect intermittent traffic shifts that may cause traffic to move slowly, so if you can't find an alternate route, be prepared for the slowdown. This should last for approximately two months, according to DOT spokeswoman Kris Carson.

Kudos to the residents of Fairview Estates (62nd Avenue N and 25th Street) who have organized to petition the county for traffic calming measures in the neighborhood, which is probably best known as the only access in and out of Sawgrass Park.

Diana Leavengood is one of the residents spearheading efforts. She described the situation in her neighborhood in an e-mail sent to the Doc: "25th Street is the access street to Sawgrass Park. The speed limit on the residential street is 25 mph and once you enter the park it is 15 mph. The only things going 15 mph are the alligators. We have no sidewalks. We have no speed controls. We have one way in and one way out, thus the people who live furthest from the exit of Fairview Estates repeatedly exceed the speed limit at dangerous levels."

Leavengood said residents are asking the county to install six speed humps, signage to notify motorists that disabled children reside in the neighborhood and a protected turn signal for motorists entering the neighborhood at the intersection of 62nd Avenue and 28th Street.

"Fairview Estates has serious volume and speed issues. Twenty-fifth Street never should have been the access street to Sawgrass Park. That land was usurped by the state to build I-275. Understandable, but there must have been a better way," Leavengood said.

Pete Yaucht, director of transportation for the county's public works department, said a 24-hour traffic study counted 1,137 vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit on 25th Street, and 81 of those vehicles exceeded 55 mph. Yaucht said residents will receive a petition from the county that must be circulated and signed by a majority of the residents and returned to the county in 90 days.

"From that point, we verify the residents. Ninety percent of residents have to be notified and 60 percent have to sign the petition in order for us to move forward," Yaucht said.

Downtown motorists should be aware that next weekend's Pierfest 2005 event may slow traffic along the waterfront, Second Avenue NE and around the Pier. Parking may be a little dicey, too.

The Extreme Sports competition runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. A concert at Spa Beach from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday night may add more volume to the skateboard and BMX enthusiasts expected to attend.

The county's annual review of its capital improvement plan was recently conducted and there is good news for folks concerned about the condition of 28th Street, particularly between 46th and 54th avenues N. Improvement of 28th Street has been fast-tracked and the project for upgrades to 28th Street at 54th Avenue is now on schedule to be incorporated into the Haines Road improvement project, already in progress, according to Frank Bowman, manager of the SE County Connection Center. Bowman said residents should keep in mind that such undertakings are three-phase projects beginning with preliminary design and then moving to bidding by contractors and finally the actual construction.

Bowman said a public meeting will be held to discuss the Haines Road improvement on Wednesday, May 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sexton Elementary School on 54th Avenue N. Representatives from the county public works department will be on hand to answer questions.

Please share your traffic concerns, comments and questions with Dr. Delay via e-mail at docdelay@yahoo.com

[Last modified May 8, 2005, 00:45:19]