 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Survey a mixed review for roads
By JEAN HELLER
© St. Petersburg Times, The Florida Department of Transportation has asked residents and visitors what they think of the state road system, and discovered some areas where there is, shall we say, room for improvement. Overall, the scores weren't bad, with particularly high marks going to road signs. But when you get to the questions about construction, the results don't look so good. Of the 5,000 drivers -- residents and visitors -- questioned between November and February, only 39 percent were satisfied that road construction in the state was completed in a timely fashion. Separate out the residents alone, and the degree of satisfaction dropped to 32 percent. "Once they get done with a road, it's fine, but getting there can take forever," said Elithia Stanfield, Pinellas County's lobbyist. "I remember the stretch of I-75 between Ocala and Gainesville. I'd only go by there every three months, but each time it seemed like nothing had changed." There are hundreds, if not thousands, of drivers who felt that way for years about Interstate 4 through Hillsborough and Polk counties, about Interstate 75 through Manatee and Sarasota counties, where construction seemed to be completed only to start up again, and, more recently, about the work on Interstate 275 in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Brenda Geoghagan commutes every day between Sarasota and Tampa to her job at the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. "They seem to have things together during the rush hours," Geoghagan said. "I've noticed that on the Sunshine Skyway, they are starting work later in the morning and they're finishing up by 4 p.m., so if you commute during regular hours, it's fine. "But if I have to go through construction to an appointment during the day, I know I'm going to be delayed because I'm going to get backed up. There just isn't any question about it." The survey results made public Wednesday did not break down driver satisfaction by region. FDOT oversees 10 percent of Florida's roads, but those roads carry 66 percent of the traffic. Overall, highway officials were happy with the outcome. After all, 90 percent of visitors surveyed rated Florida's highways as good or better than those in their home states. But FDOT acknowledged that some problem spots exist and vowed to do better. "We are determined to make a good agency even better by measuring and improving our performance in many different areas," said FDOT Secretary Tom Barry. "I'm proud to say that we brought home a good report card, and I applaud the hard work of our employees and transportation partners." FDOT will address concerns identified in the survey. Although there is no timetable, there will be another survey to determine whether deficiencies improve. Seventy-eight percent of those who responded said they were satisfied with state roads overall, though only 63 percent were happy about traffic flow, even on roads not under construction. Road signs and markings scored an 86 percent satisfaction rating, although nighttime visibility of lane striping dropped to 72 percent. Barely half of motorists surveyed were pleased with FDOT's record of maintaining access to businesses in construction zones. And only 53 percent found the rates of congestion acceptable. Highway hazards were not covered by the survey, but they are one of Geoghagan's pet peeves. "I know people clean up the interstate system because I see them, yet it seems every day I encounter several large pieces of tire tread that have come off the big 18-wheelers," she said. "People are constantly weaving around the debris at high speeds."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
