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Budget cuts won't slow parkway
By JIM ROSS
© St. Petersburg Times, BROOKSVILLE -- State budget problems shouldn't affect study of the Suncoast Parkway's possible Citrus extension, road officials said Thursday. Lawmakers are seeking ways to cuts hundreds of millions of dollars in state spending. The reason: The general economic slowdown and dismal tourist traffic have resulted in diminished tax receipts. But the Turnpike District is largely immune from such pressures because it doesn't depend on general tax revenues. The district is user-financed and uses toll revenues and bonds to pay for construction and maintenance, according to Randy Fox, the district's planning manager. That's why the district isn't worried that its ongoing $3-million study -- designed to see whether the Citrus extension would be an economically, socially and environmentally sound project -- might be halted. And that's why the district's five-year work plan, which was discussed here during a public hearing Thursday night, still confidently sets aside $19.4-million for possible engineering work on the road. The Citrus extension would stretch from U.S. 98 to U.S. 19 at Red Level. Some Citrus residents probably wouldn't mind if budget problems, or any other development, pushed the parkway study off track. Parkway foes turned out for the public hearing Thursday to let their feelings be known, as they have many times in the past. They once again complained that the road is not needed and that it would hurt Citrus County's environment and quality of life. "We don't want your road. We don't need your road," Citrus resident Isabelle Spindler said. Also Thursday, officials from the Department of Transportation explained and discussed nonparkway road plans. The department's five-year plan includes, among other things, ambitious plans to widen State Road 44 E between U.S. 41 and the Sumter County line and to continue studying improvements of U.S. 19. When it comes to state budget cuts, Kenneth Hartmann, the DOT district secretary for this region, couldn't be as confident as his counterparts at the turnpike. It's always possible that budget problems could delay some road projects. But Thursday was too soon to tell. The five-year plan that the department discussed at the public hearing was based on the best available revenue estimates. "We'll certainly adjust if necessary," Hartmann said.
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