Zephyrhills to vote on Gall Boulevard changes

The Zephyrhills City Council is expected to make it official today by voting to reject a DOT plan that would make Gall Boulevard a one-way street.

City Attorney Joe Poblick has prepared a resolution that, among other things, declares the council is "in the best position to know and understand what its residents want and need."

City leaders want the Florida Department of Transportation to redo a preliminary design for widening U.S. 301, also known as Gall Boulevard, through downtown Zephyrhills. The $70 million road project, scheduled to start in 2015, would convert Gall into a one-way street for northbound traffic. All southbound traffic would be diverted to Sixth Street, which already is one-way. Both streets eventually would be widened to three lanes.

The project is aimed at alleviating congestion on the 1.8-mile segment between State Road 39 and North Avenue, but city leaders prefer a plan that would extend Seventh Street, which is already a one-way street, to carry the bulk of the northbound traffic. The city's plan would keep two-way traffic on Gall and give it more of a small-town, main street feel.

The resolution also asks the DOT to transfer that segment of U.S. 301 to Zephyrhills so the city can redevelop the corridor on its own terms. But city leaders don't want to lose the state and federal funding already earmarked for the project.

The DOT has allocated $31 million to buy right of way for the widening project beginning in 2014.
District 7 Secretary Don Skelton has said the district office plans to spend the money in 2014, if not in Zephyrhills than for some other project.

DOT spokeswoman Kristen Carson said the district 7 staff would continue to work with the city. She disputed a statement in the resolution that describes DOT staff as inflexible.

"We have to respectfully disagree with the statement that FDOT representatives are unwilling to examine the city's proposed alternatives," Carson said. "We have met with the city and have been looking at their alternatives."

Skelton said DOT engineers have studied the city's proposed plan and found that keeping two-way traffic on Gall will only create gridlock.