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DOT To Hold Workshops On U.S. 19 Plan

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: November 15, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - A series of public workshops will explain where the rubber meets the road when it comes to U.S. 19 changes in the next few years.

Driveways will be the focus of the workshops hosted by the Florida Department of Transportation. Plans are in the works by 2010 to start continuous right-turn lanes and redesigned medians on U.S. 19.

DOT officials started the dialogue with Pasco residents and business owners at an Aug. 28 open house here. That event gave a broad overview of potential improvements to the six-lane highway over the next 10 to 20 years.

At the August event, highway officials wanted to concentrate on the long-range proposal to elevate lanes at four U.S. 19 interchanges - S.R. 54, Ridge Road, S.R. 52 and County Line Road.

Even then residents kept peppering DOT representatives with questions about the projects some two years away for continuous right turn lanes and redesigned medians.

So the series of four workshops, which started Nov. 6, will go into more detail about the changes coming soon and the potential impact on businesses.

Notices will be mailed to all affected property owners along U.S. 19, according to Kris Carson, a spokeswoman for the District 7 DOT office based in Tampa.

A Tuesday, Nov. 18, workshop will focus on the section of U.S. 19 from Green Key Road to Ridge Road. An open-house format will let people to ask questions directed to DOT and Pasco County staffs.

The event will take place 4 - 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of West Pasco, 9841 Scenic Drive, Port Richey.

On Thursday, Nov. 20, a workshop will concentrate on the section of U.S. 19 from S.R. 54 to Green Key Road. The event will take place 4 - 7 p.m. at the Quality Inn, 5316 U.S. 19, New Port Richey.

The final workshop will be held Tuesday, Dec. 2. The focus will shift onto the section of U.S. 19 from Ridge Road to S.R. 52. The event also will take place 4 to 7 p.m. at Jewish Community Center, 9841 Scenic Drive, Port Richey.

As plans stood in August, continuous right turn lanes would straddle both directions of U.S. 19. Possible exceptions might include a stretch of the state highway within the city limits of New Port Richey if the expense is too great to buy land.

The plan to rebuild U.S. 19 medians and to close others irritated some residents. DOT engineers want to close off the open, crossover medians. About half of all accidents along U.S. 19 can be attributed to traffic zipping across all six lanes of the highway from side streets or parking lots, they report.

The new medians will be "channelized." A channelized median has turn lane structures that prevent vehicles from driving straight through them while trying to cross from one side of the highway to the other.

That could mean more U-turns, though. For instance, at U.S. 19 and Sunset Road north of Main Street, drivers might have to turn right from Sunset onto northbound U.S. 19, maneuver into the proposed, channelized median and then make a U-turn to be able to head south on U.S. 19.

For more information contact DOT Project Manager Amy Neidringhaus at 813-975-6169, toll free 1-800-226-7220 or amy.neidringhaus@dot.state.fl.us.

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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