FutureModes An occasional blog on urban planning and transportation June 30, 2021
MCORES lite and its unneeded highway projects roll on By Jo Laurie Penrose, AICP In March I blogged about SB 100, calling it MCORES lite. The legislation repeals part of the MCORES toll road law passed in 2019. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 100 into law on June 25. This legislation does eliminates the toll roads concept and the south Florida highway project. However, it retains language calling for improvements to U.S. 19 from Citrus County north into Madison County. It also requires a preliminary engineering study to begin for a northern extension to the Florida Turnpike. Anti-toll road groups reacted to the bill becoming law with a measured, lukewarm response. The growth management watchdog agency 1000 Friends of Florida also issued this response: “This is still a major highway construction bill and we’ll be closely monitoring the projects it authorizes to protect the environment and prevent urban sprawl development.” FDOT and the three MCORES task forces chased shadows without data for more than a year. The requirements in the new law still don’t call for any data that show a real need for any projects. Florida needs an efficient transportation system which can enhance local economy. However, disrupting rural communities and damaging the tourism-related natural amenities to build roads defeats the idea of community planning. For example, a terminus in Madison County on I-10, would go north on U.S. 221 between Greenville and Perry. U.S. 221 is a two-lane highway with minimal traffic of any kind. A short truck route that runs along US 19-98-Alternate US 27 begins and ends in Perry. Not much commercial development exists on this road right now. In March, when I did field review in the area, I counted six cars and a log truck on U.S. 221 between Greenville and the intersection with CR 14 in Shady Grove.
Intersection of U.S. 221 and CR 14 in Shady Grove. I-10 is north of here. Photo by Jo Laurie Penrose, 2021 Another part of this bill calls for FDOT to consider four-laning arterial rural roads with a certain percentage of truck traffic, to bring in economic development. The section of the bill could also lead to sprawl, and environmental damage. For example, FDOT is already working on improvements to SR 100 between Starke and Lake City, an emerging SIS roadway. Economic development is difficult in an area with a small population and labor force. It gets worse. Bill sponsor Sen. Gayle Harrell told the Senate Transportation Committee that the bill intends for M-CORES money to be used for “grade separations and bypasses” on U.S. 19. Grade separations mean flyovers. They are ugly and costly to build. Grade separations on a main highway might move traffic a little faster, but they will not improve the residents’ quality of life. I have traveled U.S. 19 and the smaller roads in the proposed corridor many times. Shamrock, Cross City and Chiefland are quiet crossroads The only place in Chiefland that seems congested, that I’ve observed, is at the US 19-98 intersection with SR 320, the road to Manatee Springs. As for bypasses, they tend to fill up with traffic through induced demand and create sprawl. While a stronger economy is desirable for these rural areas, creating
urban sprawl is not the way to accomplish it. Imagine a flyover in Fanning Springs. Who would use it except football traffic to Gainesville in the fall? The third roadway section of this bill requires FDOT to study a northern extension of the Florida Turnpike from Wildwood. The Turnpike northern extension has been discussed at length for more than 30 years. Red Level or Lebanon Station on U.S. 19 have been mentioned as termini. Any extension would go through rural lands, rural residential development and possibly affect the Rainbow River and the Withlacoochee River. When I did my field review, I traveled from U.S. 19 -98 near Inglis in Citrus County on the West Dunnellon Road (CR 488) over to U.S. 41 in Marion County. The existing roadway is two lanes, in a rural area, and appears to be all residential. Most of the area is exactly the same. Think of the millions of dollars that will be needed to acquire property, which could also affect the suburban communities of Citrus Springs and the west side of Dunnellon. No build is always an option, but how do planners and engineers skirt a command that’s in a law? Transportation decisions influence land use and generate economic, cultural and environmental impacts. We can see the direct effects of land use changes. Constructing new roads, or making improvement to existing facilities, may induce more traffic demand in an area that right now doesn’t have much. Whether the idea is new roads, or improvements to U.S. 19, or a Turnpike extension, new projects authorized by this legislation will still have a severe environmental and cultural detriment to the rural character of the corridor. It means 150 miles of disruption to a way of life that cities and counties are trying to keep.
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