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Workshops Explore U.S. 19 Plans

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By CARL ORTH

The Suncoast News

Published: November 19, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - A series of public workshops will explain changes to U.S. 19 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 to start continuous right-turn lanes and redesigned medians on U.S. 19 by 2010.
DOT officials started the discussions with Pasco residents and business owners on Aug. 28. That event gave an overview of potential improvements to the six-lane highway during the next 10 to 20 years.

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

However, residents kept peppering DOT representatives with questions about the long-range plans for continuous right-turn lanes and redesigned medians.

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

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

A Tuesdayworkshop focused on the section of U.S. 19 from Green Key Road to Ridge Road.

On Thursday, a workshop will concentrate on the section of U.S. 19 from S.R. 54 to Green Key Road. The final workshop will be held Dec. 2. The focus will shift to the section of U.S. 19 from Ridge Road to S.R. 52.

As plans stood in August, continuous right-turn lanes would straddle both directions of U.S. 19. A possible exception may be a stretch of the highway in New Port Richey's city limits where land costs may be too great.

The plan to rebuild U.S. 19 medians and close others irritated some residents.

DOT engineers want to close 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.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

FIRST MEETING: The section of U.S. 19 from State Road 54 to Green Key Road will be discussed at a workshop from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Quality Inn, 5316 U.S. 19, New Port Richey.

SECOND MEETING: The section of U.S. 19 from Ridge Road to State Road 52 will be discussed at a workshop from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at Jewish Community Center, 9841 Scenic Drive, Port Richey.

INFORMATION: Contact Amy Neidringhaus, state Department of Transportation project manager, at (813) 975-6169, toll free at 1-800-226-7220 or e-mail amy.neidringhaus@dot.state.fl.us.

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