Trouble spots are all around us

Happy post Thanksgiving Monday! 

We’re kicking off December with a new feature I call “Trouble Spots.” As the name implies, we’re going to take a deep dive into some of the areas around our county that call for particular attention, yet seem not in the decision-makers’ line of vision.

Or they have the government’s attention, but the response isn’t getting the job done.

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We’re not simply whining or pointing out government failures. We’re also not projecting bad times based on conjecture. And this isn’t a blame game.

Left unattended, these trouble spots could wind up buried in the Graveyard of Bad Ideas, joining past forgettables such as Croft, Forest Ridge, and Ottawa.

Yup. Those are the Big Three in poor transportation planning; the ones old-timers point to as a testament of inefficiency. In sum:

— Forest Ridge was originally intended to cut through Citrus Hills between S.R. 44 and C.R. 486. As you are aware, it doesn’t. Imagine the traffic it would alleviate today from other north-south roads.

— Such as Croft Avenue, which was set for widening until commissioners eons ago scuttled those plans. Everyone agrees Croft should have four lanes. The intersection at S.R. 44 is a worsening bottleneck.

— Ottawa Avenue, well, that’s a story in itself. Basically, we gave $3 million to a developer for a perfectly good road, for a reason that never made sense. Quick: Who uses the Ottawa-Quartz-Otis bypass? And…I see no hands. Millions of dollars down the drain because commissioners were more interested in keeping a developer happy than actual transportation planning.

So, "Trouble Spots" are more than just bad projects or situations. There needs to be an overarching public issue that will only get worse if it’s not addressed properly.

An example: I am annoyed by what appears to be a growing number of billboards in this county. Especially the flashing screen kind. They seem to be closer to the roadway than ever before, an urban feel that, frankly, I find distasteful. 

But are billboards trouble spots? Of course not. They go by the way of car washes and storage units. Maybe a little unsightly, but they serve a purpose in a growing community. Unless we start seeing developments of rooftops and billboards, probably nothing of a concern.

Inverness Villages 4 is the opposite extreme. Here, you have a non-developer, residents, government agencies, county commissioners, and a partridge in a pear tree involved in the mess. Yet not a single workable solution. No one looks at IV 4 and sees success. If anything, it's an abject failure on all sides.

Taken on its own, IV 4 is just an isolated mess. After all, that could never happen again, right? Well…could it? This exact situation? Likely, no. A government quagmire involving neighborhoods? Absolutely. Don’t we want to figure this one out, so we know to avoid the next one?

Trouble spots are also real, not imagined. No “ifs.” As in: If that lagoon project goes in, C.R. 491 is going to float in trouble spots. While I won’t ignore the obvious, I’ll avoid sky-is-falling scenarios. Let’s not create trouble where there is none.

Here are three to get us going:

— Hampshire Boulevard/491. Trouble spot extraordinaire. A resident recently sent me an email stating she collected 800 petition signatures for a traffic signal at that intersection, but the county’s response is unenthusiastic.

— Citrus Avenue, Crystal River. I haven’t heard a word from anyone about what effect the city expects when the Suncoast Parkway hits Citrus Avenue. Logic says that’s a nightmare in the making. Why isn’t anyone in authority talking about this?

— Inverness traffic. I don’t even know where to start. Other than the FDOT’s widening of U.S. 41 and the resurfacing project the state’s starting on S.R. 44, I find no logic or planning to move vehicles easily through Inverness. It’s a trouble spot if your county seat is in gridlock.

You see where I’m headed. Feel free to pitch in with your own trouble spots. Let’s talk about it.

Have a wonderful Monday, friends.

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