Can local roads handle growth in Manatee County?

Standing before Manatee County commissioners Oct. 9, East County resident Dan Powers said State Road 64 is a “known safety hazard” that is becoming worse because of the rapid growth in East County.

“I’m pleading to you, our elected officials, to slow the pace of development,” Powers said. “Stop approving more housing developments in the area until the infrastructure and public safety can catch up.”

Powers’ 15-year-old son, Matthew, died Sept. 15 in a two-car crash at Pope Road and S.R. 64. 

Lakewood Ranch High senior Chase Coyner, who was driving the car Matthew Powers was riding in, also died at the scene. Matthew Powers was a sophomore at Lakewood Ranch High.

Besides S.R. 64, Powers said he believes the pace of development also is creating unsafe conditions on rural roads, such as Rye Road and Lorraine Road.

It’s a sentiment echoed by other East County residents.

Country Club resident Carrie Schwarzbauer is one of them. She said too many cars are in close proximity at high speeds.

“The last few years, the growth has been out of control,” Schwarzbauer said. “I know county commissioners don’t want to close the gate for people coming here. That means more people on these smaller rural roads that aren’t prepared for that kind of traffic. The commissioners need to make sure the infrastructure is in place before they approve these new housing developments. The sheer number of cars does make a difference.”

Country Meadows Community Association President Tim Law added, “The infrastructure doesn’t support (what’s approved). I would like to see the commissioners do the planning and the infrastructure either concurrent or ahead of the developments they are going to approve.”

Powers said dangerous driving conditions are a symptom of the fast pace of development.

“The infrastructure development keeps falling further and further behind,” he said.

Local officials say the issue is complex and they are limited in what they can do.

“The roads are under construction. They are going to continue to be under construction,” Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said. “That doesn’t mean you can stop people from moving here. It’s not that simple, unfortunately. Trust me, I wish it were.”

Commissioner Betsy Benac said the commission can’t vote against applications for development that comply with the county’s land-use regulations. She said that would be opening the county up to legal action.

She said her heart goes out to the Powers and Coyner families. 

“I applaud them for making sure it doesn’t happen to other families,” she said.

Benac said Manatee County has not added lanes to Upper Manatee River Road or Rye Road, for example, but it has made modifications, such as wider travel lanes, bicycle lanes and sidewalks, to make the roadways safer.

S.R. 64 is a state road, so any modifications to it must be orchestrated by the state. The Florida Department of Transportation has proposed three roundabouts — one each at the intersections of S.R. 64 with Lorraine Road and 145th Street East, Rye Road and White Eagle Boulevard and Greyhawk Boulevard and Pope Road — to improve safety and slow traffic. The Lorraine Road and 145th Street East roundabout construction began Oct. 16. But the other roundabouts are still years away, with the one at Pope Road not scheduled for construction until about 2023, according to the state’s work plan.

FDOT spokesman Brian Rick said the left turn lane onto Pope Road from S.R. 64 was blocked off a week following the double fatality “to remove conflict points at the intersection.”

“We closed the left turn to Pope Road because it was the only movement we could remove from the intersection that has adequate alternate routes,” Rick said.

He said the intersection will be monitored to determine if further improvements are necessary.

Manatee County is strapped for road improvements funding as it concentrates on the 44th Avenue extension. The county adopted an infrastructure sales tax in fall 2016 to help pay for maintaining existing roads, but county officials have said there is not enough money needed for improvements. 

Benac, a land planner by profession, said the funding delay makes it difficult for governments to get ahead of growth.

“It’s our job to figure out how to make things safer, and we have to continue to work on it,” Benac said. “We are mandated to do a comprehensive plan. We are mandated to provide for growth areas (in the county). It’s our biggest challenge to figure out how to accommodate it.”

Sage Kamiya, Manatee County’s deputy director of public works and traffic management, said it isn’t just about improvements.

“The more cars you have on the road, the more risk you have for crashes,” he said. “Ultimately, however, safety issues vary by roadway, according to the design, intersection configuration and other factors.”

Benac said over the next six months, commissioners will discuss long term roadway projects, impact fees and other means to fund road needs.

As for slowing the pace of development, Benac has asked the county attorney’s office to research the topic.

“With all the problems that have taken place between Rye Road and 75, I would love to see us slow down until we can get 64 straightened out and done,” she said. “In a perfect world, that would be the answer, but I don’t know that’s possible.”

Having met with Benac and also Commissioner Charles Smith, Powers said he understands the issue is complex.

 However, as a U.S. Army veteran who served as an adviser to the Afghan Army for two years, he knows there are always ways to cut through bureaucracy.

“There are very few things in this world that can’t be solved,” he said. “If the current regulations and laws don’t support what needs to be done, change the laws.”