Second email sent to members of the Faculty Senate
6 Oct 2003

Genesis of the four-lane extension of SW 24th Avenue

Dear Senator :

In Dec 2000, based on extensive study (including modeling, forecasts of traffic, and input from citizen committees and the University of Florida), the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization (MTPO) for the Gainesville Urban Area adopted a transportation plan for 2001-2020. The plan placed a high priority on relieving congestion west of campus by constructing a grid of two lane divided roads.

The first new road in this grid was to be SW 24th Avenue from SW 34th Street west to SW 43th Street. By Dec 2002, Alachua County had spent $425,000 to do 90% of the engineering design for this segment of the grid. At the MTPO meeting the same month, the possibility of a four-lane road was broached, a traffic analysis of two-lane and four-lane alternatives was authorized [for $14K], and a public hearing was scheduled to consider amending the 20-year transportation plan.

The material for the 20 Feb 2003 public hearing included the results of the traffic analysis, the summary of which read: "The results of this analysis clearly indicate the adequacy of a two-lane cross-section for SW 62nd Boulevard and SW 24th Avenue and that a four lane cross-section for either road in not warranted."

The 20 Feb 2003 meeting material also included a memo from Marlie Sanderson, MTPO Director of Transportation Planning. In this memo, Sanderson reported that

(1) MTPO's Citizens Advisory Committee had not found the four-lane cross-section warranted,

(2) MTPO's Technical Advisory Committee had not found the four-lane cross-section warranted, and

(3) the MTPO staff's recommendation was to "keep the existing two-lane divided configuration for the SW 62nd Boulevard and SW 24th Avenue corridors as described in the adopted SW 20th Avenue Area Charrette Plan and not amend the long range transportation plan."

Nonetheless three County Commissioners and three City Commissioners (the minimum number required to amend the 20-year plan) voted to construct SW 24th as a four-lane divided road, including its extension from SW 34th Street east to Archer Road. This vote relied on Vice President Ed Poppell's statement that “the University of Florida is committed to recommending to the State of Florida Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund that right-of-way be provided for the extension of SW 24th Avenue east to Archer Road.” [quote from MTPO minutes, 20 Feb 2003]

On 25 Mar 2003, President Young wrote the Alachua County Commission that the University “will recommend through its Master Plan amendment process that sufficient right-of-way be given…to provide the necessary land to connect SW 24th Avenue to Archer Road,” and the Commission directed its Public Works Department to design a four-lane SW 24th Avenue.

A more detailed account of the above, with links to supporting documents, is at http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/24thAve/10flaws.htm.

Sincerely,