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Overdue Improvements In Store For Dicey Apex

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2008

In an area with overwhelming transportation needs, Tampa Bay area motorists should be grateful for small victories. And one will be coming in less than a year when state Department of Transportation officials finally retool the treacherous junction of interstates 75 and 275 at the Hillsborough-Pasco line, which has long been another "Malfunction Junction."

Next fall, work crews will build two dedicated ramps for northbound motorists on both 75 and 275. The new lanes will take motorists directly to State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel. If they exit, they can't get back on the interstate unless they turn around at S.R. 56. A new bridge also will be constructed.

The total cost is about $50 million. And funding has been secured, great news considering the state's financial crisis.

These improvements, which are long overdue, are not cosmetic. By adding dedicated ramps, DOT officials should be able to greatly alleviate the often dangerous weaving that occurs today when motorists either want to take the S.R. 56 exit or continue north on 75.

It's a nerve-racking apex, to say the least. Traffic often backs up and even occasionally stops as travelers jockey for position.

Over the years, there have been injuries and several deaths at this junction. These improvements, coupled with an extended merge lane completed a few years ago for southbound motorists entering from S.R. 56, should make this stretch of road much safer. These additions are probably more cost effective than simply tearing up the junction and trying a new design.

Still, it should be remembered this type of traffic nightmare is what occurs when communities allow growth to outpace road capacity.
Pasco County officials should be ashamed of themselves for allowing so much traffic-generating development - including two new malls to open in Wesley Chapel - without adequate road capacity.

Allowing roads to be overwhelmed before seeking a solution is poor government and shows little regard for the time and safety of motorists who must endure the results.

And while the new ramps will greatly help, the biggest difference-maker - expanding northernmost 275 and 75 from four lanes to six - has yet to secure funding.

But motorists should remember transportation officials can only do so much. Drivers have to do their parts, too. They should show more courtesy and pay better attention. It's common to see drivers conversing on a cell phone while merging with high-speed traffic - pure madness.

The junction of 75 and 275 isn't unique, but navigating it does require drivers to increase their guard. And the new ramps leading to S.R. 56 should provide some much-needed relief and help more people get to their destinations safely.

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