Two volunteer task forces recommend more in-depth review of a range of traffic solutions for State Road 54 and State Road 56 that include keeping redesigned roads at ground level, building flyovers or a no-build option.
The West Task Force and the East Task Force concluded the first phase of a vision study for the State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor with meetings on March 28 and March 31, respectively. It was the third meeting for each group, which began working on the issue in September 2015.
Members of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization will review the recommendations from the task forces to determine where to focus their attention in coming months. Each group took 18 alternatives and whittled them to no more than six options, including the no-build choice. There also were add-on alternatives to the list that were considered, such as designs that used frontage and bypass roads.
(File Photo)
The next phase of a three-part study is expected to drill down on specific transportation alternatives, with greater detail on design and costs of future construction.
The study’s second phase could take months, probably not concluding until late 2017 or 2018.
“This is going to be a long process,” said James Edwards, the county’s transportation planning manager with the MPO. “Something has to be done,” he added.
In addition to overall concerns about the entire corridor, area residents and the East Task Force also concentrated on the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection. About 100,000 vehicles travel through it daily.
A proposal from the Florida Department of Transportation would build a flyover that would be elevated over U.S. 41, and could include toll lanes. The issue has stirred controversy and worries that the Land O’ Lakes community could be split in half, with many businesses being closed or relocated.
State transportation officials recently have said they would wait for the county’s vision study before moving forward on the matter.
The entire State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor is a high development area, with new homes, shops, restaurants, offices and hotels popping up. Congestion and traffic volume is increasing rapidly.
“Our models tell us we have a problem,” Edwards said. “It’s a corridor with issues. It’s not just one intersection.”
The West Task Force focused on State Road 54 from U.S. 19, in west Pasco, to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The East Task Force reviewed State Road 54/State Road 56, from U.S. 41 to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, east of Interstate 75.
Task force members were from the MPO’s Citizens Advisory Committee, local chambers of commerce, community leaders, developers or their representatives, and residents from East Pasco and West Pasco.
The groups, each with nine members, will remain in place to aid with upcoming reviews.
Officials, however might make some new appointments to the East Task Force based on spotty attendance by some members.
The task forces opted mostly for the same transportation alternatives, but varied in how they ranked their choices. Elevated express lanes, with public transit express lanes, ranked first in the West Task Force survey, but just barely based on a weighted score. Close behind were survey responses in favor of a modified alternative with at-grade express lanes and express transit lanes.
Most East Task force members wanted six at-grade lanes, with dedicated lanes for public buses and rail. That choice was followed by a preference for the no-build option. The top picks by east members were at the bottom of the west members recommended list.
Both groups also supported an add-on alternative that would consider frontage and bypass roads in intersection design.
“These are all going to be analyzed in phase two,” said Ali Atefi, a county transportation engineer.
The East Task Force meeting also heard a new presentation – not included in the survey – for an at-grade design for State Road 54 and U.S. 41, known as “parallel flow intersection.” Jacksonville-based engineer, Greg Parsons, had pitched his concept to state transportation officials previously. He has a patent on the design.
His specific road design to date has not been built in the United States, though Parsons said a few places, including Baton Rouge, have used partial versions of the design.
The design is based on allowing left turns onto a bypass road, before vehicles reach an intersection. Parson said that allows for a continual flow of traffic.
“I’m really confident my traffic option will work,” Parsons said.
He is equally certain the transportation department’s flyover, or any elevated design, won’t work.
With traffic volume increases, Parsons predicts that by 2040, an elevated roadway would see delays of up to an hour getting through traffic signals, with vehicles backed up for four miles.
According to Parsons, his proposed design would mean delays of one minute and minimum vehicle lineups.
Edwards said that Parson’s concept would be vetted by the state department of transportation.
“It’s a little premature. He’s introducing a concept out there,” he said. “There’s a lot of information that isn’t at the table yet and many issues to be vetted.”
For information about Mobility 2040: A Vision for the SR 54/56 Corridor Phase 1, visit PascoCountyFl.net.
To view Parson’s YouTube presentation, visit GFParsons.com/us41-sr54.
Published April 6, 2016
