Roads, Roads and More Roads!

Florida Department of Transportation officials used matchbox cars to demonstrate how the diverging diamond interchange at I-75/S.R 56 will work. 

S.R. 54 is being widened, SR. 56 is being extended, and the intersection of I-75 and S.R. 56 is being fixed with a futuristic diverging diamond interchange, or DDI. 

All at the same time.

It’s part of an expensive game of catch-up for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as it tries, mostly in vain, to accomplish the impossible task of keeping up with Wesley Chapel’s rapid and no-end-in-sight development with $134.7-million worth of road projects.

Roughly a dozen officials from FDOT held a public information meeting Feb. 26 at Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch to provide an update on its progress with videos, large poster board layouts of the projects and even Matchbox cars to show how the flow of traffic will work in the DDI.

“The area is changing quicker than the roadway network is, as you can see,” says FDOT spokesperson John McShaffrey. “We’re just doing these projects to manage the traffic that we already have. It’s obviously going to help, but the area is going to keep growing, too. These projects won’t be the end of work in this part of Pasco County at all.”

The $33-million diverging diamond, considered the (pardon the pun) gem of the three projects, is what Wesley Chapel retirees Dan and Judy Whaley came to see. Dan says they left with a better understanding of how it will work.

“Once you look at it closely, it makes sense,” he said.

The Whaleys say the DDI, which will help ease congestion from C.R. 54 west of I-75 to Cypress Ridge Blvd. to the east of I-75, is much needed. The thought of driving along S.R. 56 on either side of the interstate is rarely one they entertain, which means fewer trips to the plethora of retail stores and restaurants in the area.

“Only when we have to,” Dan said.

The DDI, scheduled for completion in late 2021, will create more continuous green time through the intersection for traffic, and is expected to clear up one of the hot spots for backed up traffic in Wesley Chapel – the northbound exit ramp off I-75.

“It will clear that queue and reduce it down hugely, so you won’t see that two-mile back up anymore,” says Ryan Forrestel, PE of American Consulting Professionals, LLC.

Extending S.R. 56

At the other (eastern) end of S.R. 56, a much-simpler six-mile extension is being constructed from Meadow Pointe Blvd. to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills.

That project is taking place over undeveloped land, and doesn’t have to worry about working around traffic, businesses or homes. However, it has had its own issues, as damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017 delayed the project for weeks and rainy weather has saturated the area east of Morris Bridge Rd.

“The ground is soggy out here,” says Mike Kopotic, construction manager of the CEI office, “but you have to remember this all used to be cattle fields.”

The extension of S.R. 56 from where it currently ends at Meadow Pointe Blvd. to U.S. Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills was another topic of discussion at the FDOT Open House.

The extension will be two lanes in each direction, with a multi-use path on the south side and a sidewalk on the north side.

Travelers using Morris Bridge Rd. already can see what looks like a mostly completed extension to the west, while the eastern view is still a work in progress.

Kopotic says the extension, which has a $59.2-million price tag, is expected to be completed by the fall.

S.R. 54 Widening Continues

Just a little further north, the widening of S.R. 54 from east of Curley Rd. to just east of Morris Bridge Rd. is in progress. “It has been a long time in the making,” says Pasco’s S.R. 54 project manager Richard Frank.

Originally, plans were made in 2010 (after roughly a decade of discussions) for a four-lane Zephyrhills Bypass Extension, which would begin just east of Curley Rd. and run along the northern edge of the New River Development of Regional Impact (DRI) and what is now Avalon Park West, before connecting to Eiland Blvd., where Wesley Chapel meets Zephyrhills. The proposed bypass would have relieved traffic on S.R. 54, but those plans were placed on hold in favor of getting S.R. 56 built.

“It will eventually connect to Eiland Blvd.,” Frank says. “The developer or county will develop it. In the meantime, something has to happen out there and that is what this job does.”

S.R. 54 will go from its current two lanes to four lanes, with intermittent dedicated turn lanes, as well as a number of safety improvements, such as limiting left turns out of side streets like Foxwood Blvd., which has been the site of numerous accidents.

Frank says the $42.5-million project will prove to be a lot more than just widening of a 4.5-mile stretch of road.

“We are moving every single utility that’s out there, too,” he said. “Power, water, sewer, fiber optics and your communication lines. It’s not like we can just come out there and lay pipe and we’re done. It’s almost more of a reconstruction project than it is a widening. It’s a brand new road.”

Frank says it should be completed in the spring of 2021.

New Tampa Says ‘Goodbye, 2018!’ — Remembering Some Of Our Top Stories

One of the best things about working for a local publication are the stories.

Stories that are sometimes about your friends and neighbors and your children’s schoolmates, or the road you drive to work or your favorite local restaurant. And, there are the stories about people you didn’t know, but do now, and maybe you’ll share a wave at Publix that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Some are happy stories, and some are sad. Too many sad stories, sometimes.

But, almost all of them are memorable, in one way or another.

Here are some of the most popular, according to Facebook and our website, and memorable stories we wrote this year, in no particular order:

CHAMPS!

Hey, everyone likes a winner, right, and in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel we definitely had our share in 2018.

Nelson Agholor

Like Nelson Agholor. It’s doubtful many people even knew the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver attended Liberty Middle School until he made our cover, and to be honest, we didn’t know either until his Eagles won the Super Bowl.

But sure enough, he was a flag football legend back in the day — and a pretty good hoopster, too — before going on to become a football star and a Super Bowl champ.

And, let’s not forget a little way up the road at Florida Hospital Center Ice, where the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team trained in preparation for winning their own championship, an Olympic gold medal in South Korea.

The nail-biting shootout win over arch-rival Canada was one of the most classic hockey finishes in Olympic history. Could they have done it without the warm weather and friendly hospitality of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel filling their souls with a strength unlike any other?

We’d like to think not.

And, who has a friend that had a child play on a team that won a championship this year, like the Turner-Bartels boys hoops team winning that school’s first title, or the boys and girls track team winning a first district title for Benito?

*Raises hand*

NEWS

There were so many stories we did on kids winning chess championships and math and debate competitions and starting their own clubs that we lost count (and by the way, keep those stories coming!).

But do you know what people really liked to read and comment on?

Traffic!

(Right?)

But mostly roads. So, which road do we start with?

We could start with Bruce B Downs, which we declared was Bruce B. Done, which was mostly true according to the county, until some paving issues arose, and those finishing touches that were supposed to be completed turned out to be more numerous than expected.

However….it’s still a dramatic improvement and soon, very soon, the big trucks and orange-vested fellows will be gone, and BBD’s completion really is the highlight of many people’s transportation year.

Now, about Kinnan-Mansfield…

Oh, never mind.

Even with 700 new homes okayed for neighboring K-Bar Ranch, Pasco County is standing firm in its opposition to connecting the two roads. It appears hopeless.

That leaves the folks in K-Bar with one way in and out, and that makes for a pretty bleak commuting future for those who can’t afford to put a helicopter pad in their backyards.

COMMUNITY

In with the new and out with old, they say.

Local voters nearly booted Ken Hagan off the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, but while he survived, long-time resident and political representative Victor Crist did not. Same goes for fellow New Tampa resident Shawn Harrison.

State House District 63 candidate Fentrice Driskell.

But, fresh faces like county commissioner Mariella Smith (she defeated Crist) and State Representative Fentrice Driskell (she beat Harrison) should offer a fresh perspective and some new ideas. Hopefully, they will benefit New Tampa.

District 7 City Council member Luis Viera is running for re-election in 2019, and he had another busy year. We don’t want to say the guy is everywhere and at every event, but we actually saw him bagging groceries at Winn-Dixie, mowing our neighbor’s lawn, handing out programs at a Wharton orchestra event, helping someone find the right flooring at Home Depot, playing trivia at the Fat Rabbit and holding a townhall with three people at a bus stop.

And that was all in the same day!

We will say this — 2018 may have been as busy a year as there has been in terms of activism for bettering our area.

Hillsborough County School Board member Cindy Stuart (left) and Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera.

If you have a complaint, there’s a place for you in New Tampa. There is a New Tampa Council, there is a group that meets to fight for pedestrian safety, there is a group that argued against the re-naming of the New Tampa Library, there were multiple town halls, there were meetings at the library and there were forums and workshops and studies and presentations.

If you really want to know, there’s no excuse not to. It was a good year for New Tampa, as work continues on traffic issues, roads and sidewalks are being studied and the New Tampa Rec Center expansion and autism park steam towards completion — all items that continue to be pushed at the multitude of public events in New Tampa.

EVENTS

A beer tasting event in an event center at Catholic church?

Sign us up!

Seriously, the New Tampa Brew Fest was arguably the best event we attended all year, and not just because they had to kick us out at the end of the night.

Twice.

While there is plenty of room to improve, and we hope they stick around and give it a second shot because New Tampa needs more events like this.

The Taste of New Tampa was, as usual, another wonderful event as well, and nothing beats doing it indoors at the largest skating facility south of New York.

We want more, people. Get to work.

SADNESS

New Tampa has had its fair share of awful tragedy over the years, often making national news, and 2018 was no exception, as sadness gripped the area following the death of West Meadows resident Pedro Aguerreberry in June.

Riding bikes with his 3- and 8-year-old sons, 42-year-old Pedro was struck and killed by mentally ill Mikese Morse (who has since been declared unfit to stand trial).

It was a devastating loss for his family and friends. Pedro was universally loved by everyone who knew him.

And, while we didn’t, we certainly wish we had.

Changes Provide Minor Improvements In Front Of Wharton High School

Construction on “Segment D” of Bruce B. Downs is expected to wrap up by the end of the year. But, recent changes have made some safety improvements amongst the maze of orange barricades for students walking and driving to and from Wharton High. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

Traffic snarls continue to frustrate New Tampa drivers, as road construction is moving forward on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., but isn’t quite complete yet.

A persistent trouble spot on BBD is in front of Wharton High, where delays get particularly lengthy during morning drop-off and after school lets out.

The intersection of BBD and Oak Preserve Blvd. in front of Live Oak Preserve, at the north end of the high school, where student drivers and parents enter and exit the school, has drawn a lot of complaints.
“That intersection is ridiculous during drop-off,” said parent Paula Olson in a letter to Tampa City Council member Luis Viera. “People are turning left out of the wrong lanes, people are going straight from multiple lanes because they don’t want to wait — all with new student drivers in the mix.”

Olson and others voiced concern that while they have heard the situation will be better when the construction has been completed, something needed to change immediately.

Viera says he has heard his constituent complaints. Because students also are walking in that area, he says the matter is of particular importance. “Bruce B. Downs is a is a county road, not a city road,” says Viera, “so it’s a little bit out of my jurisdiction, but I jumped on it anyway.”

In road construction terms, that portion of BBD is part of “Segment D” – a 1.44-mile stretch from Pebble Creek Dr. to County Line Rd. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Construction on Segment D began in October of 2016, when it was a four-lane divided roadway, and it will soon be an eight-lane divided roadway with a landscaped median, sidewalks, a multi-use path and upgraded traffic signals.

But although completion of the roadway portion should be as early as November, Viera says he set up a meeting with representatives from Hillsborough County to figure out what could be done quickly.
He reports that four issues were agreed to at this meeting with the county on Sept. 21, and have since been implemented.

First, an off-duty law enforcement officer now assists with directing traffic during the morning hours while students are going to school.

Viera says that three additional issues relate directly to pedestrian safety in the crosswalk across BBD.
The timing on the crosswalk has been changed to allow for more time for students and others to cross from Live Oak to get to the school.

Striping on the pavement was enhanced to more clearly mark the pathway.

It also was discovered that the pedestrian buttons were sticking, so that problem also was corrected.
Viera says this is a great example of different governmental entities working together across jurisdictional boundaries to get issues resolved for local residents.

Earlier this year in a school-wide email and phone call, Wharton principal Mike Rowan reminded parents that all students attending the school are provided transportation by bus, no matter the distance they live from school.

This is an exception to the Hillsborough County School District policy, which typically offers buses only for students who live more than 2 miles away from school. However, busing is offered at Wharton due to the “hazardous conditions” presented by roadway construction and then, once construction is complete, an eight-lane road.

“It has certainly been a challenging situation living through the entire BBD expansion project,” says Olson, who says she has lived in New Tampa for 17 years. She calls the changes “positive” and says she was pleased to see them implemented.

“Personally,” she adds, “I will just be happy when this project is completed, which hopefully will be soon.”

BBD Update — Done By End Of Year!

It’s easy to recognize the progress being made on the widening of Segment D of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (above). The final phase of the BBD widening is expected to be completed before the end of 2018.

The seemingly never-ending widening of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., a project talked about and debated — and even cursed — for two decades, could be “substantially” finished by the end of October 2018.

While the mounds of dirt, yellow construction trucks working behind orange traffic barrels and the winding roads with sometimes confusing lane switches seem to contradict that claim, Hillsborough County’s Public Works Department says that all eight lanes of Segment D — the last of the four segments of the BBD project — will be operational in October.

That doesn’t preclude periodic daytime lane closures, as contractors complete punch list items, but the end, thankfully, is finally near.

The final full completion of the segment is scheduled for sometime in November.

The widening of Segment D — a 1.44-mile stretch from Pebble Creek Dr. to County Line Rd. — from a 4-lane divided roadway to an 8-lane divided roadway also will include a landscaped median, sidewalks, a multi-use path and upgraded traffic signals.

The final segment of BBD widening began construction in October of 2016.

According to the county’s website, Segment D’s cost was estimated at $24 million, which was funded through the Public Works Transportation Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and was awarded $5 million from the Transportation Regional Incentive Program (TRIP) by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Segment A, which was once the most congested area of BBD and extends from Bearss Ave. to Palm Springs Blvd. in Tampa Palms, was a $54-million project that wrapped up last year.

Segments B and C, which bracket the work that was done around the same time I-75 was widened, were considered the most difficult (and costly) of the segments geographically, but were completed together first.

The two inside southbound lanes of Segment D have been completed, and plans were to finish the two outside northbound lanes, and then shift traffic by the end of August.

When the traffic shift has been completed, work will begin to complete the two inside turn lanes, as well as the median northbound and southbound.

As we reported last issue, county engineers recently showed results of a signal-timing project they say has improved traffic on BBD (and its side roads) south of Cross Creek Blvd., and said when the construction is done, some of those same signal-timing improvements will be applied to Segment D.
Also, a new traffic signal has been added at the intersection of BBDs and Trout Creek Dr. (just north of the Burger 21) in an effort to alleviate congestion off the side roads in that area. That signal was not yet operational at our press time.

While residents have complained about perceived inactivity on BBD at most of the traffic-related townhalls and forums held in New Tampa the past year, all of the previous segments had their own challenges. The completion of Segment D has had to overcome some construction and weather issues that have delayed progress at times.

Last year, Hurricane Irma (and other lesser storms) dumped enormous amounts of rain on the New Tampa area, and the usual summer-time showers this year also have provided some delays.

“The toughest aspects of the project so far have been the weather impacts,” wrote the county’s Public Works Department, responding to questions from the Neighborhood News. “All construction projects must utilize temporary drainage measures to address the rain. This project is unique because the installation of the main drainage line must connect to the adjacent drainage lines on the south end of the project first, to allow the entire project to drain properly.”

While the Segment D project is designed with the temporary drainage measures in place to handle the rain, “unusually quick and heavy” rains can overwhelm the drainage system, making it unable to drain the water from the roadway and causing backups.

The project also has faced obstacles like locating underground utilities, which in most cases can be traced as a straight line, but there are unexpected deviations that required a redesign.

“When coordinating multiple utility companies to install, relocate, and remove, it is challenging, especially when the majority of this work is completed by other companies all trying to fit in narrow areas,” the county says.

But, the delays haven’t been enough to change the much-anticipated completion date, which remains the end of 2018. The end of a two-decades-long wait draws ever closer.

New Tampa’s Traffic Issues Getting A Closer Look From City, Local Residents

Hunter’s Green resident Peter Mirones (left) listens as residents voice their concerns about bike and pedestrian safety in New Tampa, as well as about the reckless driving that Mirones and others say has contributed to some of our area’s traffic problems. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

After sitting in on a quickly organized town hall meeting called by a local resident, District 7 City of Tampa councilman Luis Viera says the next New Tampa Council (NTC) meeting could be one of its most informative, as well as most important.

On Wednesday, July 25, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Compton Park in Tampa Palms, the NTC will host a town hall with the City of Tampa’s Transportation Department, as well as with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Viera says that the city will discuss the new timing for the traffic signals on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., including the troublesome intersection at Cross Creek Blvd., as well as upcoming transportation projects that will affect our area.

“It’s very important for New Tampa residents to come to this meeting,” Viera says. “There are a lot of exciting and pivotal things happening in our city with regards to mass transit and transportation and we need to be updated on all these developments. And, most importantly, New Tampa residents have to be engaged, because without engagement, we will not see the results we need for our area…and our area needs results now.”

April Ingram would agree.

The K-Bar Ranch (see separate story on pg. 6) resident isn’t exactly sure when her outrage over local traffic in New Tampa boiled over.
Was it during the 30 minutes or so she says it has sometimes taken her to turn right onto Cross Creek Blvd. from BBD on her way home from the University of South Florida?

Was it the first time a car did not yield to her as she tried to walk across Kinnan St. at a designated crosswalk, or was it the second?

Was it one of the many times she’s seen cars speeding by? Or the times she has been awakened at night by the sound of car tires squealing and screeching, the result of racing down Kinnan St.? Or, just how unsafe she feels in general when she’s biking with her son or walking her dog?

Whenever it was, Ingram hosted a meeting at the New Tampa Regional Library on July 2 to find out if she was alone…and she wasn’t.

Roughly a dozen local residents from Meadow Pointe, Cory Lake Isles and Hunter’s Green showed up — including Viera and Eric Denney, an aide to District 5 Hillsborough County commissioner Ken Hagan, as well as two Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) corporals — to sound off on traffic issues they encounter on a daily basis.

“I am pleased and happy that anyone showed up,” said Ingram. “I think this was a good start.”

Those in attendance focused primarily on many of the same issues Ingram has, as well as bicycle and pedestrian safety.

A lot of the frustration was aimed at what they feel was a lack of response to their complaints from the Tampa Police Department (TPD). Most in attendance also argued that more of a police presence in New Tampa would help deter reckless drivers.

Peter Mirones, who lives in Hunter’s Green, said he has seen a parked TPD car dramatically alter the way people drive. But, when that police car leaves, “it’s Hell’s Bells.”

Mirones, an avid bicyclist, says New Tampa is not friendly to bikers, and others agreed. The bike trail on New Tampa Blvd. is in such disrepair it is practically unusable, he said.

Mirones organized a biking event over the weekend to memorialize West Meadows resident Pedro Aguerreberry, who was killed by a driver on June 24. The ride began at the entrance to Flatwoods Park and eventually made its way down New Tampa Blvd. near where Aguerreberry was struck. Mirones said some of the police officers even suggested that the bicyclists should ride in the road because the bike path was so bad.

Others at the July 2 meeting who enjoy but also fear biking in New Tampa suggested some kind of pedestrian bridge that crosses over BBD at Richmond Place Dr. would allow safer access into Flatwoods Park for those who live on the west side of BBD. While there is a light at Richmond Place Dr., the general consensus was that it is not safe for anyone crossing BBD.

Another suggestion: New Tampa should consider installing rectangular rapid flashing beacons, or RRFBs, similar to the ones at crosswalks on E. Fletcher Ave., at some of the New Tampa area’s trouble spots.

Viera encouraged everyone to attend next week’s NTC meeting to present some of the concerns and suggestions that were raised at the meeting.

“There were some good ideas presented tonight,” Viera said. “I think the momentum has really been growing in the City of Tampa the last 6-9 months toward pedestrian safety. Meetings like this can help.”