Pictures and State Road 52 traffic backup

1:39:28All right. So we are on um pressure items, I believe. Is that right? Huh? Yes? Okay, so Commissioner Oakley.

1:39:38Yeah. I have some pictures.

1:39:43The pictures you're seeing are Wilton Simpson and myself. We were out looking at the Building there at uh

1:39:51The college or Dane City? A new science science building, a lot of Things were happening, so this was the topping off party. Uh for that.

1:40:05And then we have uh The opening of uh

1:40:10Uh station eighteen. They're on Chauncey Red? Every time I turn around, I said earlier, every time I turn around we're opening a new fire station.

1:40:19No, they're coming fast and fast.

1:40:20And they're coming fast, and that's that's good. That's good for our citizens and we're being able to uh These stations are being way more active than were. This one was supposed was at originally at Uh Crystal Springs. They moved it up on China because ninety five percent of the calls for this station. It was up closer to Zephyrhills. And only about five percent of calls they got in Christmas Springs area. So But very good to see that open. What

1:40:51we got here. Oh we got the um

1:40:55not many there to

1:40:56Pasco's government Governor Day. Uh so we're there talking, I think it was twenty six, I believe, persons there that day, so Um Mr. Arkey missed it I think and Jack Jack was there and Seth was there with me. So it was Very good. Very good we had that. Here is the um The elec well not the election, but the installation of Dr. Brian Butler of

1:41:27Saint John's Missionary Baptist Church in Nade City. He was uh became the chairman of the Pasco County, N W C N W N W A C See, I'm not saying that right, I guess. But uh But it was a good good ceremony. Uh Doctor Brian Butler, he's a very good man and he's located there in Dade City. They're on eighth street right in the Dade City area. So Very

1:41:57good group of uh folks and uh always willing to reach out and help them and Move forward. So Good thing. Um That's all I had on that, but I wanted to bring up one other item. Um on the way

1:42:17West Al of Pasco County for for our meeting today. I was stopped Over a mile from Bellamy Brothers in line Waiting on the light to change over a mile back. To the east, back toward the interstate.

1:42:34He heading west.

1:42:35Hmm?

1:42:38Um

1:42:39Not at 41. Stopped at Belanie.

1:42:41Yeah. Crazy.

1:42:42And it took at least two, maybe three light changes for us to get through Belanie. And the the traffic coming to the east on that on fifty two at the same time was backed up all the way past Aaron cut off And then it was after that it was still quite a bit of traffic, but there was a break in it a little bit from the red light at forty one. But My concerns are, and I think a lot of our citizens have the same concerns. is the fact that we've

1:43:13got uh Palmetto Ridge development coming. I don't know when they're gonna start. Also the the development between Bellamy and the interstate on the north side. Is is coming? There is absolutely no way I believe that we can Build those developments. And be able to control traffic for the development and the construction And not have that road in four lane. Because

1:43:44There's no way traffic can move now. So I don't know how it's gonna move if we start those developments prior to that, but I I think it's something we need to all look at as commission and administrator. and look at what we're doing and and do a better job of of setting these processes of developing new businesses and new things and home sites coming in. We just need to do a better job at uh programming this out. So Commissioner,

1:44:14I I agree with you. Um as you saw, I asked the traffic expert how he generates his numbers at our last meeting. Um I was talking with David Engel about this very subject because I'm seeing it too, and it worries me. So I wanted to suggest that we um ask our staff to embark on a traffic study for the county. and and and and go in depth really and and and take a good look at I think we got a little bit of it from that MPO report. At the M P O from

1:44:44that um I don't remember the name of the the group that took a swing at it, but we need to We need to take a look at what's coming. And what what kind of uh transportation network we have and see you know what kind of solutions are there. Um And and then we have a workshop on it. But we we need to understand it a little better, I think.

1:45:06We just need to do a better job at planning

1:45:09Well

1:45:10it hasn't necessarily been this way before, but I see it here heavy now 'cause It's always been if you put it in development the mobility fees and all come in afterwards when roads are being improved. But the fact that this is state money, a state road. And I think it's scheduled for the first part from From Bellamy to Air and Cutoff happens in twenty seven. And twenty eight that part from From air

1:45:40and cutoff to um What's like Housing development right there.

1:45:47Well but let me just let me just

1:45:49And then the next one is is owned to forty one right the you know

1:45:54what after that what is the reliever of State Road fifty two there? What we we are putting all the traffic on one road in the county in half in half the we're putting half the county's population on two roads. I mean this is why I'm always talking about connectivity so there's other ways to get Get around. Is there envisioned in our road network another road that parallels fifty two north of it? I don't know. Do you have to go all the way up to County Line Road? So I mean imagine Pinellas County with two east west

1:46:24roads. So in my mind we're kind of doing this to ourselves by not having an integrated road vision of an integrated grid system within the county. Why why couldn't there be another road behind Panther Ridge that comes across? And um So but I I do think let's take a good look at our road network.

1:46:45To your point, that's why I've been harping on the Callier Parkway extension as a a reliever to Aaron Cut Off. At least the north section. And um That's that segment of road is going to be incredibly important to get to forty one because there as of today air and cutoffs not sufficient, especially once the commercial traffic comes online when you got the industrial trucks.

1:47:08And no doubt Shady Hills is not gonna be able to handle it and and and not only our development, Hernando County's development. I guess they're gonna be using all our roads too. So

1:47:18I was gonna go to the right-of-way.

1:47:23Difficult choices, yeah.

1:47:25So I I think it's tough at a zoning to change and make things happen, right? Because you have you're limited. I think the time to negotiate to get road improvements done like that project at Bellamy to the north. That project I this probably should have two left turn lanes put into it. It should have had a at least a right turn lane of its own coming out as you hit fifty two. that could have allev a alleviated a lot e ev even to ge to get traffic to flow for the future. When D O T was picking ponds, they took out the neon cowboy spot right

1:47:55there. Um They could have left a lot more space right there. Instead of just putting all the pond right to the edge. So we we missed an opportunity that we've got to make sure that when we're we're doing these things we've got to look. And the land use is a time to talk about them things because you have flexibility. You don't have it with the zoning. So I think Much as it says we used to have like a lot of pipeline projects. We don't push for those anymore. We need to start pushing because the acceptable or the the argument of well after the growth comes and development's gonna come and the infrastructure's

1:48:26gonna come People aren't buying that anymore. They're stuck in traffic, just like you were stuck in that thing. Had we set these unc things up ahead of time, maybe it doesn't happen. And I think we need to look at that at every land use. What can we do? What can we get to make it come? 'Cause right now you get developments coming up in Hudson. This i not have infrastructure up there either. And we can get some good stuff in there.

1:48:46You've got the ability to have a grid up there.

1:48:48I know and I'm I I

1:48:50I

1:48:50had a vision road for fourteen years. So that's gonna be good for you. So there's

1:48:53this

1:48:54opportunity.

1:48:59you know, not n not in our time, but in the next generation's time, some overpasses. And so we need to be citing buildings at certain intersections. where we don't have to buy a whole Amazon distribution center or whatever. I'm just pulling that out. to put it over pass over an intersection. But If there's no way no way to go wider, we're gonna have to go up and over.

1:49:22Commissioner Oakley So so you'll know I've got a meeting set up with staff and folks out on Bellamy Boulevard. Tomorrow evening. and we will be discussing the new changes for the safety of Bellamy Road. from fifty two all the way to the county line.

1:49:46parts put in that roadway. It makes it safer. Some of it will be no passing And continue like that. But it'll be widened. on that road because very important. I had a person call me, a citizen call me one time. He says, When I moved here two years ago on Bellamy, It wasn't like this. I now this tr well he was part of the problem. 'Cause people like what we have in Pasco County and they want to move here, or when they do that problem creates that problem. So

1:50:16we gotta have the vision road network looked at for the whole county and see if we can make improvements.

1:50:22Well we're addressing Bellamy this week and that's to happen in twenty uh twenty seven.

1:50:27And more and more people are using the multi use path to get around with the kids on and I'm gonna bring it up in my commissioner items but Those multi use paths. or a way for people to get to work to not be in their car. And we need and we're gonna have a great network of them when we're finished, but we we need them on all our arterial collectors. Um Okay, Commissioner Commissioner Weightman. Great discussion, Commissioner Oakley.