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Traffic Signal To Be Added At Veterans Elementary

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 10, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - Drivers on County Road 54 will find themselves waiting at one more stoplight this fall after county officials install a signal at soon-to-open Veterans Elementary School.

The county is seeking bids on three new traffic signals, one of which is slated for C.R. 54 and Progress Parkway at the Westbrook Estates subdivision, said Bob Reck, the county's traffic operations manager.

The new signal will be the sixth on C.R. 54 between Magnolia Boulevard and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
County crews are finishing a two-year project to widen that stretch of road to four lanes.

That process has included adding a signal at Lexington Oaks Drive and upgrading one at Old Pasco Road.

The developer of The Grove at Wesley Chapel shopping center has installed a signal at Gateway Boulevard.

Other signals are at Interstate 75 and Bruce B. Downs.

That many lights close together has some residents concerned about stop-and-go traffic that will waste gas and add to air pollution.

"There are going to be some issues with the stop-and-go traffic," said Peter Hanzel, a Lexington Oaks resident who also is on a citizens committee that advises transportation planners.

Reck said the string of traffic lights will be synchronized to limit the amount of stop-and-go traffic drivers will experience.

The county hasn't scheduled a date for activating the Progress Parkway light.

That will depend on the arrival of the steel poles that support the lights, Reck said.

Until the light is in place, Pasco County Sheriff's Office deputies will direct traffic at the intersection when the school opens, Reck said.

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

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