The Laker/Lutz News

Long Range Transportation Plan

Pasco County to get electric buses?

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In the next few years, Go Pasco — the county’s public transportation system — may begin to go electric.

Kurt Scheible, director of the county’s transit system, briefed the board of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization about the potential for obtaining federal funds to begin rolling electric buses on local roads within a few years.

“Things don’t happen overnight, but we do want to move forward toward something like that because I do think it is just beneficial for both Pasco County and the environment,” Scheible said.

Plus, the buses are quieter and have fewer vibrations.

Because there are less vibrations, Scheible said, “they’re actually a little bit safer.”

He explained why they’re safer: “You fly on a plane and you’re tired and you haven’t done anything — it’s just the vibrations that you’re with. It’s the same type of thing (for bus drivers).”

He told the MPO board that it will likely be about a two-year process to get local and federal funding together to acquire the buses.

“The good news is that we were with PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) when they went out for the electric bus bid. We were part of that, so we’ll be able to use that contract to purchase the buses,” Scheible said.

Once he knows the cost, then the transit authority can get the MPO board’s input and move forward with seeking federal funding for the buses.

His best guess is that Pasco would get eight or nine electric buses and a charging station, with federal funding covering the lion’s share of the cost.

Scheible expects to use the buses along U.S. 19, which is traveled by about one-third of the county’s transit customers.

He estimated the electric buses will cost about $1 million each and the charging station likely will cost about the same amount.

Federal funding will be sought to pay for the buses and the charging station, he said.

The charging station would likely be on the north end of U.S. 19, on U.S. 52, where there’s an existing substation, Scheible said.

He told the Pasco MPO board members to stay tuned because he expects to bring them updates on the issue in coming months.

The Pasco County MPO is the lead transportation planning agency in Pasco County that serves the following municipalities in Pasco: Zephyrhills, San Antonio, St. Leo, New Port Richey, Port Richey and Dade City.

According to federal and state laws, the Pasco County MPO is responsible for establishing a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process for Pasco County. Key responsibilities are the creation of the 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the five-year Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), and the five-year Transportation Improvement program.

The MPO board is made up of representatives of the Pasco County Commission and elected leaders from Zephyrhills, Dade City, New Port Richey and Port Richey.

Published January 05, 2022

MPO advisory committee adds two members

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The board of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization has appointed Christie Zimmer and Jim Engelmann to serve on the organization’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC).

The Pasco MPO is the lead transportation planning agency in Pasco County that serves unincorporated Pasco and the municipalities of Zephyrhills, San Antonio, St. Leo, New Port Richey, Port Richey and Dade City.

The board took the action at its October meeting.

The CAC advises the Pasco MPO board on various issues coming before the board.

Under state and federal laws, the Pasco County MPO is responsible for establishing a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process for Pasco County. Key responsibilities are the creation of the 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the five-year Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), and the five-year Transportation Improvement program.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Perils on Pasco roads continue to climb

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The number of miles being driven in Pasco County has climbed significantly in recent years, and the number of transportation-related injuries and deaths has risen, too.

That’s the gist of a report presented by Gina Torres, an active transportation planner II, to the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) on Feb. 11.

Since 2017, MPOs have been required by federal law to adopt Safety Performance Measure Targets (PM1) by Feb. 27. To meet the requirements of Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, the measures must be date-driven, realistic and achievable, not aspirational, Torres told MPO members.

Torres covered the report’s five required safety performance measures, which apply to all public roads.

“We use a five-year rolling total to really give you a good snapshot because we’ve actually seen particular years, for some reason, really jump up or down. So that doesn’t really give you a good idea of what’s going on. So, we base these numbers on a five-year range and we do that so you get a little bit better idea of how we are doing, better or worse,” Russo said.

Based on all public roads, the five-year annual average ending in 2019 showed an increase in the number of fatalities, Torres said. At the same time, though, the number of miles driven increased greatly, she said.

A chart in the agenda backup materials shows that the number of miles driven in the Pasco MPO’s jurisdiction rose from 44.2 million miles in 2015 to 55 million miles in 2019.

“I call it a law of percentages, if you have a lot more people driving, a lot more miles, our fatalities are going to go up,” Torres said.

The Pasco MPO data shows a slight trend downward in the five-year rolling average for number of serious injuries. The number went from an average of 1,133 (2014-2018) to an average of 1,192 (2015-2019), for a decrease of 1.2%. The rate of serious injuries during those same time frames went from 24.556 per million miles driven to 23.197 per million miles driven, for a drop of 5.5%.

However, the trend is up for fatalities, during the same time frames went from an average of 86.8 (2014-2018) to 92.2 (2015-2019), for a 6.2% increase in the number, and the rate went from 1.856 per million miles driven to 1.883 per million miles driven, for a 1.5% increase.

“What’s really ironic, our fatalities went up, our injuries went down,” Torres said. “Some of the professionals think that the injuries may have gone down because vehicles are being made to be safer.” But, she added, “that’s speculation.”

“Speed management has been one of the biggest issues with fatalities,” Russo said.

“If you have that higher speed, there’s a good chance you’re not going to survive that crash.”

Pasco also showed a slight trend upward for bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries, which went from an average of 121.8 (2014-201) to 122.8 (2015-2019), for an increase of 0.8%.

The number of pedestrian fatalities outnumbers the number of bicyclists who have been killed, Russo noted.

Pasco County MPO expects an eventual trend downward for all categories by implementing  safety projects and programs, re-thinking priorities, and possibly allocating additional funds toward safety projects and programs, according to the agenda background materials.

Under federal funding requirements, both the county’s Long-Range Transportation Plan and its annual Transportation Improvement Program project list must discuss how recommended or listed projects advance progress toward meeting the targets.

Russo told the MPO board members that the staff’s recommended goal is to maintain the targets from 2019, which the board approved.

Transportation planning and programming are the primary functions of Pasco’s MPO, which is  the lead transportation planning agency in Pasco County. It serves Zephyrhills, San Antonio, St. Leo, New Port Richey, Port Richey and Dade City.

Published February 24, 2021

2045 roadway plan officially pushes forward

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The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) board has approved the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan that includes numerous projects that are expected to be pursued within a 20-year time frame.

“The goal is to develop [a] cost-affordable plan that covers a minimum of 20 years through the planning process,” Wally Blain, of Tindale Oliver, told the MPO board during a Dec. 11 meeting at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse.

The evaluation of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 is underway and a part of the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan. This agenda was passed by the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization board on Dec. 11. (File)

The 2045 plan is a revision of the 2040 plan. It prioritizes road in greatest need.

The long-range plan is updated every five years and is subject to revision.

Its feasibility is determined by what funds are allocated on the federal, state and local levels.

The planning process also included a public comment period, from Nov. 6 to Dec.6.

“More than 2,500 residents of Pasco participated in those and provided input on the transportation planning process,” Blain noted.

One comment noted that trucks are traveling faster on Ehren Cutoff, since the road’s shoulders were expanded. Another cited a lack of north-south improvements in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills compared to east-west improvements. And, there was a suggestion for a train service to connect Pasco County with Orlando and Tallahassee.

While the feedback was noted, priority road improvements must be dealt with first, Blain said.

The 2045 plan includes changes in the way revenues are distributed for transportation-related improvements.

The 2045 plan contrasts to the 2040 plan as follows:

  • Funding for roadway capacity rose from 64% to 71%
  • Funding for transit decreased from 25% to 9%
  • Funding for sidewalks and bicycle facilities increased from 1% to 2%
  • Funding for technology/congestion management rose from 1% to 3%
  • Funding for roadway maintenance rose from 9% to 14%

Projects in the 2045 plan include:

  • Widening of State Road 52 to four lanes, from U.S. 41 to Old Pasco Road
  • A one-way pair conversion, along U.S. 301
  • Widening of U.S. 301 to six lanes, from Eiland Boulevard to Kossik Road
  • Widening of Old Pasco Road to four lanes, from Wesley Chapel Boulevard to State Road 52
  • Widening of Overpass Road to four lanes, from Interstate 75 to U.S. 301
  • Extending Tower Road to U.S. 41

The Vision 54/56 project has $600 million for improvements, but specific changes have yet to be determined.

“State Road 54 is a key corridor that the MPO has taken as a priority in this plan, as well as the 2040 plan,” Blain said.

The MPO has been working along with the Florida Department of Transportation to address the issue.

The state transportation department is conducting an evaluation to determine potential improvements at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

The approved long-range transportation plan will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation. These agencies utilize the adopted plan to implement numerous federal and state-funded transportation projects in Pasco County.

In addition to long-range planning, Blain also covered a number of projects that are ongoing and committed in the five-year plan, which runs through 2024.

Those include:

  • Widening of State Road 52 to four lanes from the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41
  • Widening U.S. 41 to four lanes, south of State Road 52
  • Ridge Road extension from Moon Lake Road to the Suncoast Parkway (The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to begin work on the project on Dec. 20)
  • Construction of a new State Road 52 alignment, east of Interstate 75 to Clinton Avenue
  • Construction of an Interstate 75/Overpass Road interchange.
  • Widening of Collier Parkway to four lanes, from Bell Lake Road to Parkway Boulevard

Published December 25, 2019