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City Promotes Traffic Option

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By LAURA KINSLER

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: November 26, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - The City Council is hoping it's not too late to keep two-way traffic on Gall Boulevard.

As the Florida Department of Transportation moves forward with a plan to convert Gall, also known as U.S. 301, into a one-way road, the City Council voted to spend nearly $15,000 to put together an alternative traffic study in time for Monday's workshop.

The DOT scheduled the workshop to answer questions and hear concerns about the $70 million plan to limit traffic on Gall to northbound vehicles. All southbound traffic would be rerouted to Sixth Street. Both streets eventually would be widened to three lanes.

"Our folks will be there and they'll have something for the people to look at," said Todd Vande Berg, director of development for the city.
City leaders want the DOT to consider shifting more of the northbound traffic onto Seventh Street, which already is a one-way road, and making a series of intersection improvements on Gall Boulevard. DOT engineers have said that even with those improvements, Gall would turn into a bottleneck.

"All we're asking is for them to meet with our consultant," Vande Berge said.

City Hall has been deluged with calls and e-mails from business owners on Gall who are concerned about the DOT plan. That opposition never materialized in 2001 when DOT held a series of public hearings before finalizing the plan.

Project manager Gordana Jovanovic said the Federal Highway Administration has signed off on the plan, and the DOT has allocated $31 million in 2011 for right-of-way acquisition. Construction would start in 2015 at the earliest.

City Manager Steve Spina has been trying to get DOT officials to change their minds for seven years. He's hoping residents will compare both plans at Monday's workshop and let the DOT know if they prefer the city option.

"We're not trying to be confrontational," he said. "We thought, rather than criticize the plan, we should have an alternative in place."

DOT Spokeswoman Marian Scorza said she's never seen a city present a separate plan so many years after the completion of the preliminary design and environmental study.

"We have an approved document," Scorza said. "We'll continue our dialogue with the city, but we're not going to build a project that doesn't work. We have the best plan out there."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: DOT public information workshop for Gall Boulevard

WHEN: 5 to 7 p.m. Monday

WHERE: Alice Hall Community Center, 38116 Fifth Ave., Zephyrhills

CONTACT: DOT project manager Gordana Jovanovic at (813) 975-6000 or gordana.jovanovic@dot.state.fl.us

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844.

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