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DOT describes new plan for 144th
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| By: Mark J. Crawford, Editor |
April 09, 2009 |
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Though yet to be fully funded, DOT has a new plan to build Southeast 144th Street that should please most everyone put off by prior proposals. Of the three new options shown, Option 2 is preferred as the least intrusive and least expensive. It routes the road north of R.J. Corman Railroad Co. out to the existing traffic signal at Deerfoot Village.
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As promised, Florida Department of Transportation representatives briefed the county commission Monday on revised plans to reroute and pave Southeast 144th Avenue.
The project aims to tie State Road 100 to U.S. 301 via 144th on the south end of the city of Starke, thereby reduce the tendency for traffic to bottleneck downtown.
The county, with funding from a DOT grant, is responsible for paving the eastern part of the road, from S.R. 100 to the railroad tracks. DOT's portion of the project picks up on the west side of the railroad, where 144th turns into Alexander Street.
Prior design concepts for how to tie 100 to 301 have faced challenges from residents, business owners, and city and county commissioners. Options to go through Lincoln City or tie into 301 at Container Road have since been abandoned.
DOT project designer Jamie Driggers showed the county commission a map with three new options. While one option involved going around the south side of R.J. Corman Railroad Company, and another went through that property, DOT is advocating an option that will take 144th around R.J. Corman on the north side. This is the least costly option because it is a shorter route with less property to acquire.
In the proposed design known as Option 2, DOT would follow Alexander to Hayes Road, where the new segment of 144th will then turn to the left and proceed to 301 and join the highway at the signalized intersection at Deerfoot Village Shopping Center.
A left-hand turn lane on 301 would need to be extended to accommodate additional traffic that would be turning onto the new Southeast 144th Avenue. Turning radiuses at the intersection will also be widened for trucks and improvements will be made at the railroad crossing.
In addition to avoiding some of the controversial suggestions of the past, like removing the light at Deerfoot Village, right of way and construction costs are also less. Although there is a federal award involved, DOT still does not have all of the money needed to construct the road as proposed, so it will be completed as funding becomes available.
With an additional estimated cost of $12 million, an overpass across the railroad right of way is not an option at this time, although the county eventually hopes to locate one there since a train stalled on the tracks can stop traffic traveling east and west, including emergency traffic.
It will become and even bigger priority as even more freight trains are diverted through this area.
One more public meeting is going to be planned to make sure past issues have been adequately addressed. Commissioner Eddie Lewis said he has already spoken to many who seem to be happy with the latest proposal.
"This seems to be the way everybody thinks makes the most sense," Lewis said.
DOT's Jimmy Pitman said plans are finished for the widening and resurfacing of C.R. 229 from S.R. 16 to Northwest 177th Street. The project is being funded with more than $900,000 in stimulus money from the federal government.
That project could be let as soon as June.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2009
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