The Laker-Wesley Chapel/New Tampa-January 6, 2016

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WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION

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Seeking state road money By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

State lawmakers are seeking $8 million in state funds to push along a project, known as the diverging diamond interchange, to fix the daily traffic jams at Interstate 75 and State Road 56. The trouble spot already is among Pasco County’s 2015 priorities for highway projects. The list is for a five-year plan that is updated annually and also includes the intersection at State Road 54 and U.S. 4, and other projects along State Road 52 and U.S. 301. But, with some state money in hand, a project start date for I-75 and State Road 56 might come sooner rather than later. Currently, the Florida Department of Transportation anticipates funding in 2017

FILE PHOTO

Traffic stacks up daily, at morning and evening rush hours, as motorists navigate Interstate 75 and State Road 56.

for study and design of the interchange. Sarasota is the first city in Florida to build “I think there is reason to hope,” said a diverging diamond interchange. The $74.5 State Sen. Richard Corcoran. The Land O’ million interchange at I-75 and University Lakes lawmaker is the designated Speaker of Parkway will be operational in 2017. the House when the 2016 legislature conSee ROAD, page 11A venes Jan. 12.

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The kids’ art garden is a popular place to create a little art during the Suncoast Arts Fest, now in its 11th year.

Jasleen Rehsi was a first place winner at the 10th annual Suncoast Arts Festival last year. This year’s festival will feature 125 fine artists and craftsmen.

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BK Lyons, who created this piece of chalk art, will be one of the chalk artists featured at the 11th annual Suncoast Arts Fest later this month.

The 11th annual Suncoast Arts Fest will feature 125 fine artists and craftsmen in a two-day event aimed at raising money to support arts education in Pasco County. “Our fine artists — they’re growing,” said Pam Marron, co-director of the arts festival. “We’ve got a good blend coming in from all over the United States. Besides being a place to enjoy or purchase art, the event also offers a wide array of live entertainment and opportunities to be creative, too, Marron said. “The entertainment — in addition to having professionals there —we also have youth entertainment from the region,” Marron said. There will be chalk artists at the festival, there’s an art maker space, where arts and technology meet, and, on Jan. 17, there will be glass etching , Marron said. “We’ve got the emerging artists area, where the high school art students are able to display their artwork, and that artwork is juried and a prize given for that, as well,” she said. There is also a kids’ art garden, designed to appeal to younger artists, she said. See ARTISTS, page 11A

Resident crusades for safety wall on I-75 By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

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Construction dust, giant cranes and truck traffic are an everyday inconvenience near Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club. Road crews are busy expanding the interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 52 from County Road 54 to Hernando County. The three-year project is slated for completion in 2017, and is meant to improve traffic flow by widening I-75 from four lanes to six lanes, with three lanes in each direction. State Road 52 also will be widened to six lanes. There will be frontage roads north and south of State Road 52, west of I-75. Sidewalks and bicycle lanes also will be installed. But, what John Hart sees and hears from his backyard in Tampa Golf & Country Club he perceives as trouble. He’s worried about a steady flow of cars and 18-wheelers delivering nonstop noise and rattling the foundation of his home. And, in a worst-case scenario, he’s concerned about an overturned semitrailer crashing into his backyard. The retired Rhode Island cop has been on a three-year crusade on behalf of his community to improve conditions. “We’re looking for a safety wall,” Hart said.“I want to see the wall out there. I want to see people protected.” State highway officials maintain that a study completed prior to construction did not justify a wall based on noise levels. And the road design, they say, meets national safety standards. The entrance into the age 55 and older community is off State Road 52, within a few yards of the highway ramps. Hart wants the sound and safety barrier installed along the approximately two-mile outer boundary of his neighborhood paralleling I-75. Currently, a row of pine trees and a vinyl fence are the only defenses against

KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTO

John Hart points out a chipped window at his home in Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club. He believes that vibrations coming from truck traffic on Interstate 75 cause damage to both his home and his neighbors’ homes.

noise, or worse, an out-of-control vehicle, just 300 feet or so from a row of homes backing up to the interstate. Hart has repeatedly raised his concerns with the Florida Department of Transportation. He isn’t a man who gives up, even though Hart acknowledges that some by now — even within his community — probably wish he would concede it’s a lost cause. Hart points to a recent accident as evidence that a safety wall is needed. On Dec. 11, north of the interchange project, a dump truck in the southbound lane of I-75 blew a tire. A chain reaction accident occurred, involving another dump truck, a van, a semitrailer and a pickup truck. The driver with the blown tire died and another person suffered serious injuries, according to media reports. The van ended up on the outside shoul-

der of the highway. Hart worries that someday a semitrailer could roll across the road into his backyard. “It would take out this house,” he said. State department of transportation spokesman John McShaffrey said the state agency can’t design roads for unexpected tire blowouts. But, he added, “We don’t compromise (safety).” Construction projects aimed at improvements for the community can be a tough sell sometimes, he added. “One thing to keep in mind is that improvements are needed for the greater good and the motoring public,” McShaffrey said. “We have to look at the greater good.” In this instance, Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club was in early stages of development when the project was designed, with 10 or fewer homes built. “The interstate was here first,” See SAFETY, page 11A


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