Don't ignore Maylen in 491 hype

This year, so we’re promised, the county will start construction on the widening of C.R. 491 in Lecanto, somewhere between Allen Ridge and C.R. 486.

When finished, it will complete the four-laning of 491 to C.R. 486 which we all agree has taken WAY too long.​

---

Wish I could tell you why it’s been more than 10 years to widen 3 miles of road. I know it’s easy for current commissioners to blame past commissioners, but I really don’t think it’s that easy. I mean…I don’t recall those folks being in the room when all this was discussed.

Still, we’ve moved on and now it’s transportation priority No. 1 in 2023: Start work to complete the widening of C.R. 491.

So of course I want to throw a wrench into those plans: Maylen Avenue.

I’ve mentioned Maylen before. It’s the north-south country road that’s become a bypass of sorts. Maylen hits S.R. 44 at the Seven Rivers Church campus and heads north to Horace Allen Drive, which is a straight shot to 491.

When 491 is finished, the county plans to place a traffic signal at the Horace Allen intersection. Meaning it expects even more traffic to continue using Maylen to get to and fro.

Here’s the problem: Maylen isn’t built for a bypass. It’s not meant for all this traffic. 

I took a drive over there Monday to grab a photo of the narrow road, but it’s the sign opposite the Florida Gas Transmission compression station parking lot on Maylen that caught my attention.

“Most drivers are speeding, so:
Check left-right-left-right
Be alert — others may not be.”

They forgot, “Have a nice day!”

The station has sat there since 1994, and I'd bet they didn’t have a single traffic worry until a year ago.

One has to wonder why the county’s consultants would be so convinced of the need for a traffic signal at Horace Allen/C.R. 491. It's less than a mile south of C.R. 486. Plus, if 491 is completely widened between 44 and 486, why would someone take the back country road instead?

Two reasons:

One is obvious. The Suncoast Parkway interchange at S.R. 44 is about a half mile west of Maylen. Anyone exiting and wanting to head north into the Central Ridge will turn left at that half mile instead of driving another mile to 491. It’s just common sense.

That alone should make the county take notice.

If not, how about this:

Eighteen years ago the county approved an 810-home development called Allen Plantation on 213 acres along Horace Allen Street. The developer agreed to build the nice road that Horace Allen Street is today, but wouldn’t make improvements on Maylen.

Vicki Phillips, then a county commissioner and today a loyal Just Wright Citrus participant, even made a point of saying Maylen isn’t constructed to handle much traffic.

Well, Allen Plantation never came to be, and — don’t hold me to this — the zoning permit has probably expired. Yet there’s another company, Old Dirt Road Property Group LLC of South Pasadena, Fla., which owns basically the same acreage, so it’s only a matter of time before something comes of that.

The point behind all this is the county CLEARLY believes Maylen is in for some significant traffic.

Yet the road is narrow, with no shoulders, no markings, and in generally terrible shape.

I challenge any commissioner to take a drive in both directions on Maylen and tell the public with a straight face that it’s fine, nothing to see here.

Finish 491, absolutely. We can’t start working on tomorrow’s road improvements until we complete today’s homework. That’s understood.

But any plan to widen C.R. 491 that leaves Maylen on its own is just asking for trouble. And trouble we don’t need.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.
​