Project News

From the Daytona Beach News-Journal

Panel backs SR 40 scenic status request

Sunday,01/23/2005

BARBERVILLE -- State Road 40 is on the way to becoming Volusia
County's first Florida Scenic Highway and the state's 12th.

A state advisory committee recently endorsed a Volusia County
Metropolitan Planning Organization scenic highway request for the 60-plus mile
section from Interstate 95 in Ormond Beach west to Silver Springs, near Ocala.

Two sections of State Road A1A in Flagler County totaling 19 miles
are designated Florida scenic highways. The 12-mile stretch from
Beverly Beach to Marineland also is a federally designated scenic byway.

The endorsement allows an advocacy group to move forward with a
formal application. The processes could take months or years, depending on
how vigorously the group works.

"It would be quite a feather in our cap to help promote ecotourism
and protect the natural and historical features along the corridor," said
Volusia County Traffic Engineer Jon Cheney, who also serves on a
governor-appointed S.R. 40 task force.

The task force has met for more than a year to find a balance
between conflicting needs to improve S.R. 40 and protect the numerous state
and federal lands and wildlife.

"Highway improvements there have been controversial for years as
more and more traffic uses the road," said attorney Clay Henderson, a former
Volusia County Council chairman and a facilitator for the S.R. 40 task force.
"But, it's also one of the last environmental impact regions in the state, covering
hundreds of thousands of acres of forests and springs."

The designation prohibits new billboards, but would not stop future
road widening and improvements, said Garry Balogh, regional
transportation scenic highway coordinator.

Real benefits come from the voluntary cooperation and partnerships
of local governments and interested parties who must craft and adopt a
corridor management plan that addresses land uses, signs and other
regulations designed to protect and promote the natural and historic resources.

In the corridor's middle stands the 383,000-acre Ocala National
Forest. The region also includes Tiger Bay and Lake George state forests, Lake
Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, the St. Johns and Oklawaha rivers, Silver
Springs, Juniper Springs, Mill Dam Lake State Park and the Florida National
Scenic Trail.

The S.R. 40 corridor is home to 36 state- and federally protected
species, including the Florida scrub jay, Florida black bear and eastern
indigo snake.

While the natural features draw tourists and locals, the highway
also serves as a major connector across Volusia, Lake and Marion counties,
between interstates 95 and 75.

Although S.R. 40 is primarily a two-lane roadway, it's a significant
commercial truck route. Trucks account for up to 10 percent of all
traffic. Trucks average about 6 percent on other major state roads,
according to state data.

S.R. 40 also is a major evacuation route for Ormond Beach and
Flagler County coastal residents. They also use it daily to reach Ocala,
Gainesville, Interstate 75, Tallahassee and points north and west.

Going the other way, visitors use S.R. 40 to reach Volusia County's
special events and beaches.

Traffic volumes are reaching critical levels, state data shows.

Volumes at the western end near Silver Springs average up to 14,600
vehicles a day. Those numbers are expected to jump to 28,500 in 20 years.
During the same time, traffic volumes between U.S. 17 and the St. Johns River in
Volusia County are expected to increase from 8,100 to 15,500 vehicles a day.

"We need to increase the road's capacity in some areas to make it
safer and slow people down, while at the same time assuring we provide for
the wildlife and bring more awareness to the springs and recreation areas," said
Letitia Neal, state Department of Transportation project manager.

A 3.7-mile long section of S.R. 40, near Ormond Beach from Tymber
Creek Road to Cone Road, is being widened to four lanes. Plans are to continue
widening west to U.S. 17, but no construction is scheduled through the next
six years except a circular intersection at State Road 11 in 2006.

An improvement study for the 40-mile long section of S.R. 40 from
U.S. 17 to Silver Springs drew heavy opposition from environmental and
wildlife groups. The governor appointed the task force to find a compromise.

A draft plan is expected to be released before the task force's
Feb. 25 meeting in Ocala. The plan includes support for a detailed
environmental study to widen S.R. 40 from Silver Springs east to County Road 314A in
Marion County, add wildlife overpasses, expand bridges to help wildlife
cross under the roadway and support Florida Forever state-grant land purchases
in the corridor.

The task force and a scenic highway advocacy committee would serve
as advisory panels for the widening study.


bob.koslow@news-jrnl.com