by Craig Pittman, Florida Phoenix November 18, 2021. But the three task forces formed to make recommendations on the M-CORES highways all reported they couldnt find any purpose served by them. At least two of the potential routes show it cutting through Levy County. FDOT. Select an exit, travel plaza, toll plaza or other location from the map, or use the location list to get information and a close-up map of that location, plus any nearby gas stations. All rights reserved. FDOT conducted an Alternative Corridor Evaluation (ACE) to evaluate the extension of Florida's Turnpike (State Road [SR] 91) from its northerly terminus in Wildwood to a logical and appropriate terminus as determined by the Department. Signage directs drivers to the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge, a toll bridge across the Elizabeth River between Chesapeake and Norfolk, Virginia. Michael McGrath. 220 0 obj <>stream Then, in a move even a dung beetle would call stinky, Galvano announced that he had had a brilliant idea: Florida should build a bunch of expensive roads that the DOT didnt have on any of its maps, and it should do this really fast. They also said the project would destroy homes and the environment. The red line appeared to draw the wrath of the county commission since it appears to cut through the Morriston area and would potentially ravage farmlands, subdivisions, and forests. Two major developments have been approved on CR 318: the WEC Jockey Club and the Sunny Oaks development. Mike Wright August 4, 2022 5 min. QAa& August 4, 2022. Look under the Documents - Public Kickoff Meeting section. Sally McDavid, a fourth-generation Floridian, said getting away from urban sprawl is why many people moved to Citrus County. There was a problem saving your notification. On Monday, a united Dunnellon City Council unanimously approved a resolution calling on the state to adopt the "no build" option. They will ask the state to remove three of the routes recommended for expanding the turnpike from where it now ends at Interstate 75 in Wildwood. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. State to halt plans for Northern Turnpike Extension. The proposed letter said, in part:"Marion County's foremost objective is to remind the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) that our adopted comprehensive plan prohibits the development of expressways or toll roll roads within the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA).". Straub also showed a slide of the I-75 and County Road 318 area, the subject of extensive discussion at BOCC meetings in the past. The proposed Northern Turnpike Extension project would extend the turnpike's northern terminus from Wildwood/Interstate 75 west to U.S. 19. That farm and that land is meaningful to him.. Ron DeSantis, the secretary of the Florida of Department of Transportation, the FDOT project manager for Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, the president of the Florida Senate, the Florida speaker of the house, and other appropriate parties. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Our comprehensive maps section covers the toll roads, bridges and tunnels from coast to coast. During a special meeting held at . It is the first phase of an extension that will eventually take the parkway north to County Road 486 in Citrus. We had a wily Escambia County commissioner named Grady Albritton who some people dubbed the King of the County. He was so powerful because he controlled the road crews in his district and he knew how to use that to swap favors. 03/25/06. Is something needed between I-75 and the west coast? he asked. He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife and children. You have permission to edit this article. It is a four-lane toll facility that extends the existing Suncoast Parkway northward for 13 miles from US 98 to SR 44 in Lecanto. In Dunnellon, a resounding no for Florida's proposed northern turnpike extension, Sand mine denied; lakeside lots approved; Countryside Farms gets buffer, The Marion County roads with the highest traffic counts, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Contact Us, Copyright 2023 Ocala Gazette | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions. P.O. The goal of every project is to ensure all needs are met, environmental concerns are addressed, and community characteristics are protected," wrote Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue. The award is given to those who have made a significant contribution to the preservation of horse farms in Marion County. Bridlewood General Manager George Isaacs accepted the award. But when Pleasence looks for his body, its gone. SR 9/I-95 at SR 842/Broward Boulevard Interchange. Earlier this month, the Inverness City Council voted to send a similar message. to the northwest side of the county with a new four-lane street. Construction on Sections 2B and 2A wrapped up with a ribbon cutting ceremony and 5K run on the morning of March 31, 2018. Rep. Ralph Massullo. Craig Pittman is a native Floridian. At the behest of Senate Transportation Chairwoman Gayle Harrell, a Republican from Stuart, the Legislature repealed the toll road bill Galvano had wanted so badly. The rest of the Legislature kowtowed to Galvanos clout and in 2019 approved the bill creating the M-CORES. Wekiva Parkway. The department announced it has completed an alternative corridor evaluation study without a recommendation for a specific corridor and "will not pursue the . But according to Roscow, they built it in Hernando County, not Citrus. But on residents' minds was one of four plans of Northern Turnpike Extension that would go straight their neighborhoods. Audubon proposes this solution: Build six additional lanes within or contiguous with the I-75 right of way and separate local- and through-traffic. Dunnellon takes a stand:Council tells state it doesn't want northern extension of the Florida Turnpike, Development decision:SW Marion land owner gets second delay to finalize 841-home development near SummerGlen, Local growth:Ocala/Marion among nation's fastest growing metros with home construction up 42% in a year. Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Northern Turnpike Extension. hZYoF+|$-". The Northern Turnpike Extension project is not going away, Perdue confirmed. "The region and local community should be assured that as we continue to refine and develop viable corridor concepts for this area, it will include extensive engagement with community leaders and the community as a whole.. The extension, if built, is expected to bring the turnpike from its current northern terminus at Interstate 75 in . A look at the Florida road map can give an idea about the route and location of these roads. The final decisions will come from the state, not the county. "The Department deeply values community input and is committed to thoroughly exploring all concerns received during this process.". The commissioners promised to write to the governor and the DOT demanding an explanation of this latest outrage, Catlow said. P.O. There are four alternative routes being proposed. A road is a choice, you see, and clearly the Legislature and DOT were choosing to value pavement and development over the things that make life in Levy County appealing. There are four alternative routes being proposed. However, the Bill still allowed FDOT to evaluate a new northern extension of the turnpike. The southernmost road would have demolished habitat for our official state animal, the panther. The agency agreed once again to treat the horse farm area as off-limits. I think that an extension of the Turnpike would be beneficial to cross-Florida traffic. See this map in color with this story at www.RiverlandNews.com.The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with the Ocala and Dunnellon chambers in asking the state to work with them on a northern turnpike extension route that addresses common environmental and other concerns. Commissioners noted that this is a state project, authorized by law, and the study will happen with or without county government's involvement. The routes are unlikely to meet the requirement that tolls generated by traffic flow fund 50 percent of debt service at the 12th year of operation. Meanwhile, rural northern counties including Levy said they had no interest in allowing big, sprawl-causing toll roads to plow through their rural landscape. He is the author of six books. Promotional Rates were found for your code. Commissioner Jeff Gold joined Stone in voting yes. "The "No Build" resolutions, and all of your tireless work across the region, are the reasons we are getting closer to a complete victory," wrote Cris Costello, Senior Organizing Manager for the Sierra Club, in an email to members of the No Roads to Ruin coalition Thursday. I am talking about the Northern Turnpike Extension, which is supposed to branch off from the Florida Turnpike in Wildwood and head north toward some as-yet-unnamed terminus. In 30 years at the Tampa Bay Times, he won numerous state and national awards for his environmental reporting. Instead, on a contentious 3-2 vote, the commission agreed to send a letter to the Florida Department of Transportation, urging it to give Marion County governmenta seat at the table as the state studies the proposed highway. When guest speaker Jared Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, said the Northern Turnpike Extension is still in the agencys plans, an audible response came from some audience members. Ocala, FL 34478 WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. They said it would threaten Rainbow Springs, one of the state's largest springs. Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code. We count on community support to continue this important work. "This does not send a signal to our community that the project is dead, and until FDOT makes its position crystal clear, we will remain vigilant and involved. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged. Citrus County. That meeting was attended by more than 100 people. Box 613069, Ocoee, Florida 34761 For immediate Release: August 5, 2022 (407) 264-3321 | Angela Starke@2dot.state.fl.us Contact: Angela Starke Department Pauses Northern Turnpike Extension Project ~ Florida Turnpike Enterprise Alternative Corridor Evaluation Study Cancludes with no Viable Proposed Corridors ~ OCOEE, Fia. Who benefits from it? Around 100 people waving signs showed up for the Levy County Commission meeting Tuesday to object to the Northern Turnpike Extension, even though that road wasnt on the commission agenda. Folks in Levy County tell me they suspect the real aim here is to provide a highway for Peterffy and other developers. To me, a roads a road.. The Florida Department of Transportation has decided to broaden the input process as it considers a possible northern extension of Florida's Turnpike.. FDOT has put clear explanations, videos, graphics, maps and schedules on the website www.floridasturn pike.com/NTE. But six bullets didnt end Michael Myers, and I doubt it would end this latest M-CORES monstrosity. (Maybe instead of DOT we should call it the DOh!-OT.). Or look at what happened in 2018, when the DOT planned to build something called the Coastal Connector, a toll road to link that pointless Suncoast Parkway extension to I-75. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maintained and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, this 68-mile (109 km) transportation corridor extends from State Road 60 in Tampa, north to State Road 44 near Lecanto.The Veterans Expressway was built to accommodate the increasing commuter . The decision is considered a win for environmentalists, who have been lobbying various cities and counties to come out against the project. It said a report was due to the governor, president of the Florida Senate and Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives by Dec. 31. Three of the four proposed routes go through Marion County. He just happened to be a Mar-A-Lago member and a DeSantis contributor, and he also just happened to own 561,000 acres in Lafayette, Dixie, and Taylor counties that are ripe for development. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online. Commissioners on the losing side of a vote cannot take such action. Nearly two weeks ago, the five council members had directed staff to put together a resolution signaling their intentto fight the measure. 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