Bruce B. Downs Construction Still Creeping Along, But On Track

By Matt Wiley

 

Construction is full-speed-ahead, as traffic patterns change and strange metal structures rise from the dust along multiple sections of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa.

Area residents may have noticed a new traffic pattern along BBD just south of I-75 at Commerce Palms Blvd., as vehicles are now traveling northbound along newly reconstructed lanes, so construction can begin on the southbound stretch.

“We switched the northbound traffic to the new lanes so that we can remove the temporary lanes in the median,” says Scott Passmore, an engineer with KCI Technologies, the engineering firm heading the BBD widening project. “That traffic configuration will remain in effect until the project is complete.”

Passmore says that in that section of the construction project, storm drainage also needs to be installed before reconstruction of the southbound BBD lanes can begin. But, he says, that phase of the project is still on track to be completed by late this year.

Continuing north on BBD past I-75, drivers may have noticed a large, metal, T-shaped structure rising from the median in front of Cold Stone Creamery. It’s not some obscure piece of modern art, but actually something much more practical.

“It’s a support for a Dynamic Message Sign (DMS),” says Passmore. “There will be one installed north and south of I-75 on BBD by the time construction is complete.” Just as in some sections of I-75 and I-275, DMS’s are electronic signs programmed with important information drivers should know about the driving conditions on the interstate and are part of the state’s Sunguide Traffic Management System, which, according to its website, helps to provide motorists with reliable traveler information.

Whether it is a message from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) alerting drivers of a large accident and urging them to seek an alternate route, or a message from law enforcement warning drivers of an Amber alert, Passmore says that these signs are installed to keep drivers aware of what is happening on the interstate.

The benefit of these signs, he says, is that drivers can see messages about driving conditions before they get onto the interstate. However, if the need arises, he says, messages about driving conditions on BBD could be delivered.

“There will be some cross-functionality between the city and FDOT, but the primary focus is on the interstate,” Passmore says.

Our Exclusive First Peek Inside Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel!

By Matt Wiley

Although the walls are still bare and many rooms sit unfinished or, at least unfurnished, the under-construction Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) is already an impressive sight, with its three-story glass atrium lining the front wall, reflecting the work being done on the outside to those passing by on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. The hospital will be an extraordinary addition to the community and drive the local economy when it opens to patients in early October.Continue reading

Meadow Pointe-To-K-Bar Connector Still Not Happening

On the Pasco County side of the roadblocks, lively communities of people go about their lives, never having to worry about traffic from the south moving through their area. The lonely road once thought to be an appealing portal to Wesley Chapel sits barren and unused, a thin strip of undeveloped land hugging its shoulders.Continue reading

Trees In Tampa Palms Fall During The Widening Of I-75

By Matt Wiley

Sam Shaheen could sometimes forget that I-75 was right behind his home on Yardley Way in Tampa Palms. That is, until all the trees behind his house were chopped down, leaving the home with a front row view of the noisy interstate. Now, however, a large, cement “sound wall” has been erected to “fix” the problem.

“They told us about four years ago that a wall would go up,” says Shaheen. “I guess I thought they would have left the trees up and built the wall behind them. It was a very nice view. I was shocked.”

Several homes along Yardley Way and Hammet Rd. in The Enclave once enjoyed pleasant views of a small pond bordered by trees on the far side, shielding the residences from the not-so-pleasant view of I-75.

Seeing the interstate out the back window would be bad enough, but it has become especially worse thanks to the current construction project to widen the interstate to three lanes in both directions. And now, residents living on the east end of the street get to stare at a large cement wall.

Chris Welcomer and his family just moved onto Yardley Way about three weeks ago, before the wall was built.

“They put it up fast,” he says. “We saw the posts for it when we were moving in. They told us when we were closing on the house that it wouldn’t be up until the fall.”

Welcomer says that there has been a small difference in the amount of noise since the wall was put up, but nothing too substantial.

Spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) John McShaffrey explains that the wall will only be in place at certain sections along the interstate.

“Only one section qualified (for a wall),” he says, “and that is on the west side of I-75 in front of The Enclave.”

McShaffrey says that, through noise studies, FDOT examines the cost of each wall and looks at how many homes will ultimately be affected by interstate noise to determine which sections qualify for a wall.

He also says that noise studies have shown that trees don’t really factor into noise buffering.

FDOT is exempt from any local ordinances concerning the replanting of trees along the interstate corridor. He says they are considered “clear zones” and that, with the widening of the interstate, there has to be room for storm drainage to be installed. In addition, trees have to be planted a certain distance away from the interstate as a precaution for any vehicles that veer off the roadway.

“(FDOT) is not replacing any trees at this point,” he says. However, City of Tampa Parks & Recreation director Greg Bayor says that there will be Southern Red Cedars planted in between the gaps in the sound wall to help eliminate the interstate from view. But, for those living with the wall view, as of this point, no trees are planned to be planted in front of the noise wall.