Widening 415: Who should pay? - The DeLand-Deltona Beacon

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Nathan McDonell for Florida State House of Representatives, District 26

Widening 415: Who should pay?

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Dec 13, 2009 - 8:52:04am

The Metropolitan Planning Organization is preparing to dip into funds targeted for bicycle and walking trails, sidewalks and safety programs, and use them instead to help pay for the widening of State Road 415.

County Council Member Pat Northey isn’t happy about it. Neither are some other members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

The MPO is an agency of local officials and transportation authorities that handles transportation planning throughout the county.

Northey, a proponent of trails and outdoor activities, said she is taking up the matter with the County Council, and also with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

She wants FDOT to pay for widening the state road.

“Never before has the county been asked to put up money for a state road,” Northey said.

Northey noted that while the FDOT has been trying to get others to share the cost of widening S.R. 415, the state has committed considerable money to improving State Road 40 out of Ormond Beach.

Last month, the City of Deltona backed away from pledging $2.2 million to help pay for the 415 widening project, planned between Reed Ellis Road and Acorn Lake Road in the Osteen area. The widening is associated with Deltona’s plans to develop the Osteen area through an agreement with the county.

Northey said she’s not blaming Deltona for pulling out. The city has its own financial woes, amid high unemployment and foreclosure rates.

DeLand City Commissioner Leigh Matusick, secretary-treasurer of the MPO, brought up the agency’s shuffling of funds at the DeLand City Commission’s Dec. 7 meeting. She wasn’t happy with the situation, either.

Volusia County has already committed around $2.4 million to the widening project, but the county’s contribution was contingent upon Deltona’s contribution. The loss of that combined $4.4 million or so, plus matching funds that would have doubled the city’s and county’s contributions, creates a shortfall of nearly $9 million for the project.

So, the MPO board unhappily voted to reallocate money from special “XU funds.”

Northey said S.R. 415 needs to be widened. It is a safety issue.

MPO Executive Director Karl Welzenbach said the MPO gets the XU-fund money, about $5.2 million a year, based on the population of the area.

It doesn’t go very far.

“It won’t even buy one lane-mile of road,” he said.

The money does help secure matching funds for local projects.

Of the $5.2 million, 30 percent goes to mass transit, which is mostly Votran.

Another 30 percent goes to bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The final 40 percent goes to traffic operations and safety projects.

Those kinds of projects will be on hold for the next two or three years, with the money going to the S.R. 415 widening program instead.

Normally, the MPO gets requests for XU funding from localities in February and March. In 2010, it looks at though the kitty will be dry. It will take three to five years to fund new projects, instead of one or two years, Welzenbach said.

Northey noted the county’s ECHO program, another common source of matching funds for outdoor and recreational facilities, is also just about out of funds. Without the XU money, matching federal dollars that could fund 50 percent of pedestrian and bicycle trails and sidewalks will be lost, she said.

Welzenbach said widening S.R. 415 has been a priority since he came to the MPO about 10 years ago.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

Reader Comments

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Edward | posted Dec 14, 2009 - 4:50:02pm

this is disgusting. Safety? what bull. I wish these politicians for once tell the truth. This is a beginning ploy for Miami Corp. Osteen will one day turn into a dump from the beautiful land it sits on today. More retail, more homes, more gas stations, and more roads euqals another dirty nasty city in about 10 to 20 years.

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RX | posted Dec 14, 2009 - 1:31:31pm

We get it! 415 should be four laned even though it isn't necessary so that Miami Corp., its lawyers and 6 members of the county council can shove 30,000 new houses down our throats. Don't give us that political BS about it being needed for safety or anything else. The former deltona mayor & commission pushed this for their cronies like the Pell family and other big landowners, while the county helped hatch the big plans to ruin the Osteen community along with it. Now there's nothing doing in Osteen, but oh yes, we still MUST have four lanes on 415 so that Glen Storch can give us big campaign contributions.

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Jim Palmer | posted Dec 14, 2009 - 9:33:43am

This is a sign of the times. One should however consider that Deltona's out of control growth caused the traffic problems that need fixed. Growth does not pay for its self. Deltona needs to pay up for the traffic problems they have caused and Pat Northey needs to be replaced. I have followed much of her spending spree and I am tired of her wasting my tax dollars.

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NO MORE TRAILS OR PARKS | posted Dec 14, 2009 - 12:58:51am

I got a real kick out of this story. People Pat Northey has taxed us to death and has spend every dime of our money should could get her hands on. She has taken our right to choose what groups we wish to give our charitable donations to. She passes out our money to private groups left and right. This you see helps he get re-elected. We are talking MILLIONS of dollars here and much of it to the same groups. ECHO and FOREVER need repealed, these are just some of the accounts Norhtey takes from to give to private groups. During times like this we should not be building things that we really don't need such as trails and parks anyway. MPO push to get 415 taken care of. Northey must be voted out of office. Let us have control over our money again and let us give to the groups we wish to give to. I for one would not send my money to the Daytona Museum of Arts and Science or the YMCA but I am forced to through Pat Northey. If services or groups fail that means they are no valued by the community and that they should go away.

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