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Officials Look To Improve Flow On U.S. 19

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 13, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - State highway officials are looking at the long-term future of Pasco County's most dangerous road with an eye toward squeezing more traffic through an already tight space.
State traffic engineers already have spent millions on computer-controlled synchronized traffic signals and newly installed electronic billboards over the road that warn drivers of upcoming problems.

Last year, the engineers began work on a dedicated right-turn lane sandwiched between the existing asphalt and properties abutting the road.

On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation will host a public workshop to discuss its other options for improving traffic on U.S. 19. The workshop will start at 5 p.m. at Madison Square, 4035 Madison St. in New Port Richey.

On the agenda are plans to extend the dedicated right-turn lane the entire length of U.S. 19 where it crosses Pasco County. DOT officials will also present options for creating interchanges where U.S. 19 meets several major east-west roads.

Extending the right-turn lane will involve buying right of way from property owners along the highway. Up to now, work on the lane has been done where DOT already had land.

Adding interchanges would call for elevating U.S. 19 on an overpass where it meets State Road 54, Ridge Road and State Road 52. The workshop will present three kinds of interchanges that might be used to accommodate both available right of way and the level of traffic at each intersection.

The proposals mirror work done in recent years to relieve congestion in northern Pinellas County, according Bob Shepherd, planning director for DOT's Tampa office.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.

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