By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
A project engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation was questioned by residents at a Levy County Commission meeting Tuesday about state plans to connect the Suncoast Parkway toll road in Citrus County with U.S. 19 and the potential impacts on Chiefland businesses and western Levy County.
Engineer Ryan Asmus, who heads a Project Development and Engineering study that will examine ways to preserve and improve the free flow of traffic on U.S. 19 between Red Level in northern Citrus County to 140th Street between Chiefland and Fanning Springs, said the two-year study has just begun but bypasses around cities and overpasses through intersections are two of the options that will be considered as the study progresses.
Asmus was asked by a reporter if extending the Suncoast Parkway toll road north and connecting it to U.S. 19 at Red Level would make U.S. 19 a toll road through Levy County? Asmus said U.S. 19 wouldn’t become a toll road. He said state statute forbids DOT from taking away free highway lanes on a road like U.S. 19 and converting them to a toll road.
“So you’re saying U.S. 19 would continue to be a free road?” the reporter asked.
“That’s correct,” Asmus said.
Resident Sally Ann Collins called attention to promises made by DOT before it four-laned U.S. 27 through Williston, promises she said were broken.
“I just wanted everyone to remember the Alamo – Williston- they promised us it was going to bring all this business if they just widened 27 coming into Williston,” she said. “It destroyed all those family businesses. We still don’t have enough parking. They were going to go around us, but no, they went straight through Williston. They said widening the road will bring much more business to Williston and it destroyed our whole town. Don’t forget it,” Collins said.
Asmus said if a bypass road was constructed around Chiefland the state would make certain motorists could exit the highway by way of ramps to get gas and patronize local businesses in the city.
Diane Garte said DOT constructed a U.S. bypass around New Port Richie and the results were disastrous for local businesses.
“It’s my understanding that this crippled businesses in New Port Richie and that has created a dead zone where it was once a viable commercial zone and now it’s just empty strip malls, things of that sort,” she said. “I would say if you do a bypass around Chiefland, you really have to make it whole or you are crippling Chiefland businesses. You have to look at the history of what you’ve done in the past before you start spreading those mistakes out to the future.”
One man asked if Asmus could provide him with a timeline showing when the connection between the Suncoast Parkway and U.S. 19 at Red Level would be constructed. Asmus said he didn’t know the timeline. He said extending the Suncoast Parkway toll road to Red Level would be handled by the Florida Turnpike, a different department within DOT.
Yankeetown Mayor Jack Schofield said there’s a good chance bypasses would be constructed on U.S. 19 and he suggested commissioners contact city officials in Starke to find out how the bypass built around that city impacted commercial activity.
Commissioner John Meeks thanked Asmus for briefing him individually about the PD&E study well in advance of Tuesday’s meeting and for taking the time to visit Bronson for kickoff meeting to let residents know what might be coming. He said commissioners were notified of the last big DOT project in an email on the Friday before their board meeting. Commissioners didn’t have an opportunity to prepare for what was coming.
“I just implore whatever you all do in your decision making that you don’t do anything that oppresses our citizens,” Meeks said. “I still want to have access to cross U.S. 19 at State Road 24 at County Road 326, at 121 – all those roads that people have access to now. I don’t want to see something happen where access is shut off or we have to go around and come back.”
“Thank you for coming and facing the music,” Meeks added. “The busloads of people we were going to bus-in haven’t showed up yet.”
He was joking about the busloads of people coming to the meeting.
Resident Maria Wise asked what traffic levels currently exist on U.S. 19. Asmus said the traffic load is rated as “A.” She asked if DOT has developed numbers projecting what traffic levels would be after the toll road is connected to U.S. 19. Would the road be widened with more lanes?
“We don’t know. That will be part of this study. However, we know there are locations where we don’t have free flow conditions which is what the (Florida legislature’s) bill is charging us to do, so we are looking to alleviate those conditions,” Asmus said.
He said the legislation is directing DOT to examine ways to maintain the free flow of traffic from U.S. 19 at Red Level to Madison County and Interstate 10. In response to another question, he said it’s too early in the study to examine how the state would address whether a bypass is needed at Fanning Springs or how the state would deal with crossing the Suwannee River.
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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting February 8, 2022; Posted February 8, 2022
