Project News

From the Ocala Star Banner

Article published Feb 18, 2004
Growing lanes: Team studies potential impact of wider SR 40

OCALA - A regional task force formed to consider whether State Road 40 from Silver Springs east into Volusia County should be widened a little, a lot, or not at all, took a bus tour along the corridor on Tuesday to examine environmental issues that could arise from altering the road that runs through the Ocala National Forest.

The task force, comprised of people from governmental and non-governmental interest groups, will meet again today at 9 a.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art off East Silver Springs Boulevard to examine the transportation needs of widening the road, and to begin to frame their response to information they have been gathering since October.

"What we are trying to do is find a balance between environmental issues and safety issues," said Lennon Moore, state Department of Transportation government/community liaison. "There are a lot of competing interests here."

On Tuesday the task force considered various environmental impacts, to wildlife and flora, and also to humans. Among them was the Ocklawaha River bridge, which would be impacted if the road were widened to four lanes. Whether to build a new four-lane bridge or build a new two-lane "sister" bridge are among the options being considered.

"Ideally, from our perspective, is to put it on pilings so you can maintain the wildlife function through there," said Mickey Thomason, Cross Florida Greenway Manager for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Because the current bridge rests on tall pilings, wildlife can travel safely under the bridge. The high pilings also would ensure that the flood plain would be maintained, Thomason said.

A stop at Forest Corners at Country Road 314A showed an area that is owned partially by the U.S. Forest Service and partially by private citizens.

"A great number of the lots are already purchased and lived on," said Guy Marwick, director of the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center. "The rest is national forest. There will be some infill."

At a stop at the Lake George Ranger Station, Jim Thorsen, District Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service Department of Agriculture Seminole Ranger District in the Ocala National Forest, spoke about the danger to his staff of driving into and out of the station.

"What we would like to see changed there - a turning lane into the facility," Thorsen said. He said that change is an example of an improvement that could be made without widening the road to four lanes.

One of Thorsen's concerns is that the Forest Service does prescribed burns to help maintain a good environment for the scrub jays, an endangered species. Because there is smoke when there are burns, which could possibly impede drivers' visibility, Thorsen expressed concern that four lanes would mean more traffic and driver safety would be an issue.

"That means our management style for prescribed fires could change," he said. "Prescribed fires are a very important tool we have to use."

Don Palmer, senior biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also was concerned about the scrub-jays.

"Four-laning it is going to, basically, separate two forests," he said. He said the prescribed burns, which allow growth of the low shrubbery that provide the habitat including the acorns the birds eat, is better than using mechanical means.

Walter McCown of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, studied black bear crossings between Forest Road 79/579 and SR19 from Dec. 1999 to May 2003. Of the 85 bears they tracked, six were killed, some naturally

"Current conditions at 6,000 trips a day, there's not a big impact on this population," McCown said. But he said 10,000 trips or cars a day generally is a barrier for wildlife movement. There are 16,000 cars a day passing in Lynne.

"The more traffic you have becomes a barrier to natural wildlife movement," Marwick said.

There are human concerns as well.
At the SR 19 Trailhead, Dick Schuler, a board member and past president of the Florida Trails Association, said his organization has been building a hiking trail - one of only eight national scenic trails in the U.S. - the length of the state. He has concerns about widening because there is one crossing and another planned on SR 40.

"I hate to think about traffic on that road if it's 4-laned," Schuler said. "We are kind of like bears - gets up to 16,000 (cars) - it gets 'iffy.'"

Schuler said he also would like to see a trailhead on SR 40 where cars could be parked.

In Astor, in Lake County, there is concern about widening the road in the small community.

Rafael Montalvo, associate director of the Florida Conflict Resolution, is helping to facilitate the task force through its examination process, which began in October.

"They have 12-24 months total to find out if we can reach an agreement," Montalvo said about the various concerns of widening the road. Today they will consider traffic counts and projections for each section of the roadway.

Susan Latham Carr covers state issues. She may be reached at susan.carr@starbanner.com or 867-4156.

More traffic seen as a threat to wildlife