Estimates double for U.S. 19 roadwork

The sizable increase in cost has halted plans to use federal highway money to fix the dangerous intersections.

By LISA GREENE

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 27, 2001

The Florida Department of Transportation's cost estimates to improve two interchanges on dangerous U.S. 19 have more than doubled and officials there would not explain why Thursday.

The spiraling costs have thrown a wrench into plans to use $50-million of federal highway money to fix U.S. 19 and prompted a flurry of letters between U.S. Reps. C.W. Bill Young and Mike Bilirakis and Florida Transportation Secretary Tom Barry.

Barry promised Wednesday that his staff will work to resolve the U.S. 19 conflict.

Young and Bilirakis wrote to Barry earlier this month, complaining that the department's plan to spend the $50-million would not fix the highway fast enough.

Young, the Largo Republican who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, put the $50-million in the federal highway bill last fall after meeting with Bilirakis, R-Tarpon Springs, and Pinellas County Commissioner Karen Seel, leader of a task force to improve safety on U.S. 19.

The two men told Barry they got the money so the department would use it to fix immediate problems on U.S. 19. Instead, the department plans to reserve most of it to buy right-of-way after doubling its cost estimates to fix two key interchanges.

Barry wrote back to Young and Bilirakis Wednesday, saying he had talked to Ken Hartmann, the District 7 transportation secretary, about the money.

"He has assured me that his office will coordinate with you, as well as local officials, to develop a program to expend these funds in the manner in which they were intended," Barry wrote.

Barry also said the department is working on a long-term plan to make U.S. 19 a controlled access highway.

But Hartmann wouldn't talk about what he plans, or why the department's cost estimates changed.

District 7 spokeswoman Marion Pscion said Hartmann wants to respond to Young and Bilirakis before publicly discussing the issue.

According to figures provided by Seel, originally the department said it could build interchanges at Enterprise Road in north Clearwater for $25-million and at 118th Avenue in Pinellas Park for $40-million.

Hartmann sent Seel a memo with new cost figures of $63.9-million for Enterprise Road and $82.9-million for 118th Avenue, showing the department would have to buy right-of-way for the roads. Seel said that before, plans called for the work to be done without new land.

"You get some money, you think you'll get at least one overpass done, and all of a sudden you're not," Seel said. "It's frustrating."

Of the $50-million, $10-million must be used immediately on short-term fixes. The department plans to spend that money to improve medians north of Sunset Point Road.

The other $40-million has no strings attached. There was no requirement that it be spent directly on one of the two interchanges, but Harry Glenn, Young's spokesman, said there was a clear understanding it would be used for immediate projects.

Still, Young and Christy Stefadouros, Bilirakis' spokeswoman, said they are confident they can resolve the problem.

"We're all in agreement on one thing -- we need to improve safety on U.S. 19 to save lives," Stefadouros said. "As long as we have that same goal in mind, we can find an agreement that will satisfy everybody."

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