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Speed limit rises with S.R. 56 link

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com

Published: November 4, 2009

WESLEY CHAPEL - The speed limit on Meadow Pointe Boulevard is going up.

Pasco County commissioners Tuesday morning approved a plan to raise the speed limit for the two-lane road to 45 mph between State Road 54 and Sheringham Way and to 40 mph south to Beardsley Drive.

The new speed limit should take effect in February when the link with State Road 56 opens, said Bipin Parikh, assistant county administrator for development services.

Meadow Pointe Boulevard's current speed limit is 30 mph.

That speed limit was set at the request of residents and school officials when the road first opened, Parikh said. The new limit will drop near Double Branch Elementary School, Parikh said.
County traffic management officials said their studies show traffic on the road routinely travels between 42 and 47 mph - about 50 percent faster than the posted speed. Speeds are generally higher closer to S.R. 54.
County officials reported 15 crashes at the S.R. 54-Meadow Pointe Boulevard junction in 2008, the most recent year numbers were reported.

The county hasn't collected daily traffic counts on Meadow Pointe Boulevard, which opened in 2006. On Aug. 19, the day of the study, nearly 6,000 vehicles traveled between S.R. 54 and Country Point Boulevard at the northern end of the road.

The study conducted Aug. 19 showed that two-thirds of drivers drive between 35 and 45 mph. About a half-dozen drove between 70 and 85 mph.

The new speed limit reflects the reality of traffic on the road, but also reflects the fact the road can handle higher speeds, county officials said.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 731-8168.

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