Parkway has made itself at home

Here’s something we haven’t discussed lately: the Suncoast Parkway.

The next leg to County Road 486 is fixing to open soon. The state says before the end of summer.
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Took a drive out there Monday, and it’s a bustle of activity at S.R. 44, C.R. 486, and points in between. 

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Some thoughts about our hometown toll road:

— The parkway opened at S.R. 44 in February 2022. I haven’t done a stitch of research, other than normal driving, and I’d say it’s going about as well as we thought. It’s a fine road. Scenic in spots. Easy ride to and from Tampa Airport for all my airplane trips.

— The effect here was fairly dramatic. Growth went bonkers overnight and hasn’t slowed down one iota. Not all of that is related specifically to the parkway, but those folks saw no reason to move here, the developers saw no dollar signs here, until that road was finished.

— Equally dramatic is the impact on the county and, in some respects, Crystal River. The parkway, which local officials practically begged the state to get, is going to cost tens of millions of our tax dollars in infrastructure to support it. 

For example, Cardinal Street is a country lane if there ever was one. No one with an ounce of common sense would think of building a residential community with nearby stores and restaurants. No county official would even consider a fire station on Cardinal, much less widening the road all the way to U.S. 19.

Yet, all that is on the table because of the parkway. We can afford none of it. The County Commission inexplicably included a developer’s chunk of property in an interchange management plan (another expensive necessity of the parkway), and now must figure out how to appease the developer without creating a city in the middle of rural America.

— It was never smooth sailing for the fine folks in Crystal Oaks. Right from the start, looking at the plans, one couldn’t help but notice that the southbound on ramp for the parkway was RIGHT NEXT to the Crystal Oaks entrance. Um…would that confuse people?

Yes! The state tried numerous attempts at signs, pavement markings, temporary message boards…yet, not a day goes by that someone wants to turn right onto the parkway ramp and finds himself suddenly jerking the car out of the turn lane because that one is for Crystal Oaks.

The latest attempt, what I’m sure the state hopes is the last, is an electronic overhead sign that clearly spells out the first right is for Crystal Oaks and the second right is for the Suncoast.

More fallout from the location: Cars come off the parkway to head west, and immediately cut through Crystal Oaks, thinking it's a shortcut to U.S. 19.

The parkway creates a wide swath through Citrus County. That kind of intrusion has negative impacts.

— I’m not going to belabor how we got here, but it’s important to note one thing. Up until now, the Suncoast Parkway project was totally a state-run plan. The state decided on interchanges at Cardinal and State Road 44, and we didn’t really have a say in any of it.

Not so with this next section. The interchange at C.R. 486 was never planned; the state added it in 2017 at the county’s request because Citrus was so far behind on widening C.R. 491. 

And look at the impact of THAT decision. The Central Ridge growth would have happened anyway with the parkway, but adding the 486 interchange exacerbated it significantly. So, while we can blame (or praise) the Suncoast Parkway for our crazy growth, it was the county’s decision to add 486 to the mix that puts us in the immediate pickle we’re in.

— Finally, I was intrigued to see the S.R. 44 exit sign mentioning Inverness and not Crystal River. I hadn’t given it an ounce of thought, but it really jumped out Monday when I first saw the sign.

The parkway exit is closer to Crystal River than Inverness. Not starting an argument here, but Crystal River is considered the more “destination” to visitors than Inverness. On the other hand, Inverness is the county seat.

I consider it a point of pride. Yeah, Crystal River may have the manatees, Mayor Joe Meek, and the laid-back tourist lifestyle. But Inverness has the parkway exit. Inverness gets top billing over its smaller cousin. The parkway is telling motorists, “Here’s State Road 44: Inverness. That’s all you need to know.”

Don’t fret, Crystal River. Your day will come. Be patient.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, friends.

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