City councilman Jeff Starkey, New Port Richey’s liaison with Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), said on Tuesday that the MPO has little focus for U.S. 19 at their meetings. “Their main focus is East-West,” he said, “That is all we ever heard about.” He said the committee specifically focuses on the elevated toll road which was proposed this year but the Florida Department of Transportation killed the idea after angry residents protested the plan.

“There’s just no emphasis on West Pasco from MPO,” Starkey said, “But I’m just one little guy. Just so the public knows they have no plan for US19–other than for people to ride buses and put in a turn lane.” Starkey also said that he didn’t think the MPO’s plans for additional turn lanes would “cut it” on US19. Further, he said that FDOT had already ruled out overpasses for busy intersections due to soaring costs on similar projects in Pinellas County.

In September of this year, New Port Richey Mayor Rob Marlowe had successfully assisted angered business owners along the US19 corridor to change FDOT’s plans for turn lanes and to ask the agency to speed the pace of the work.

Now, Mr. Starkey says there are new problems with the planning and implementation of transportation improvements by the County’s MPO.

In an e-mail response to Starkey’s comments printed by the Suncoast News, fellow MPO board member and County Commissioner Pat Mulieri said that she believes the US19 problem to be “overwhelming.” She said she didn’t think the MPO had a “workable plan” for US19 but refuted Starkey’s suggestion that the MPO has an East-West bias specifically concerned State Road 54.

by Jon Tietz