Lithia-Pinecrest Project Draws Public Opposition

Kelly Cornelius didn't mince words at The Palmetto Club at FishHawk Ranch last week, where Hillsborough County put its plans to expand Lithia-Pinecrest Road to six lanes on the table.

"That's I-75 going through rural Lithia," Cornelius said. "We are gonna full-on fight it."

The county plans to widen the heavily travelled commuter artery between County Road 39 in Lithia and State Road 60 in Brandon.

Alternatives presented for public comment Nov. 18 include leaving the road as is and expanding it to six lanes using land to the east, west or both and building a 22-foot median.

About 40 written comments were turned in at the meeting, but many who perused project maps and video presentations spoke passionately about the project.

FishHawk Ranch resident Peitra Donovan said the congested road is long overdue for a fix, but safety might be at stake if six lanes of traffic run close to sidewalks where children walk, bike and board school buses.

"I can't see six lanes, but they definitely need to widen it," Donovan said.

County engineering consultant Steve Gordillo said studies completed last December indicate the road will require six lanes to keep up with traffic volume through 2038. The studies are being done in accordance with Federal Highway Administration standards because the county wants the federal government to pay for half the costs.

"We have to do the study for the six lanes the feds are recommending or we won't get the funding," Gordillo said. "That doesn't mean we're going to build six lanes right away. It's just a study."

That didn't appease Cornelius.

"It's a thinly veiled recipe for sprawl," she said. "Anytime a road is planned through a rural area, developers' mouths start to water."

If the project is approved for federal funding, county managers will have to figure out where to find matching county funds. Project manager Reg Alford said there is no funding on the books or currently available for the project.

The county is scheduled to roll out its final recommendations for the Lithia-Pinecrest road-widening project at a public hearing next spring. The earliest construction could begin is 2012.

The public can submit comments through Dec. 5 on the county's project Web site at www.lpcstudy.com or call Gordillo at (813) 282-2348.