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Gandy congestion needs fixing

City and state officials need to find the money to ease traffic congestion on the Tampa side of the Gandy Bridge, which beyond being a daily hassle for thousands of drivers puts south Tampa and Pinellas County at some risk during hurricane evacuations. A fuller picture of the growing problem emerged this week, after a report to Tampa City Council noted that the number of vehicles on Gandy and West Shore boulevards could rise to 60,000 or more a day, double what the roads are meant to handle.

Fixing the problem could cost $120-million, six times what government agencies have budgeted. The state Department of Transportation's plan would accommodate 50,000 cars, but that work would be swallowed up by growth in the Gandy corridor, where more than 5,000 new homes and multifamily units are planned and thousands more have been proposed.

The state needs to revisit plans for an elevated roadway to connect the Gandy to the Crosstown Expressway. The route would free local roads of through-way traffic and enable commuters from Pinellas and the Gandy to reach downtown Tampa and I-75 faster. With an estimated 45,000 drivers using the Gandy Bridge daily, any long-term solution needs to address the different demands of local and longer-haul commuters. The city should expand bus service between Gandy and downtown and West Shore's business district. While the area's population is dense enough to expand mass transit, the city's traffic consultant correctly noted that the real problem will be convincing local residents to ride a bus. Not every solution here involves money.

Increasing transportation impact fees charged to new developments is a reasonable option worth examining. But impact fees alone will not raise what the city needs. Nor is it fair to make new developments pay for congestion that has worsened for years. The city and state need to take a broader view: What fundamental changes would move traffic on Gandy for two different groups of motorists? Figure that out, then move on to answering questions about the cost, environmental impacts and who pays.

[Last modified September 13, 2006, 01:56:33]