So How the Heck Do these Transportation Projects Happen Anyway?

These 9 Questions are not only applicable to transportation projects:  I think I'll start asking these of EVERYONE who approaches me for funding of any sort for any project.  Thanks TPO for this!

That's what I learned a lot more about in an intense deep-dive this weekend in Orlando.

Money doesn't just fall out of the sky to fund these projects, after all.  We all know this but it is extremely helpful to have experts tell you exactly how the process (supposedly) works.

And there are some tremendously intricate laws that govern these expenditures, how they get funded, the politics of the process, who pays what, who truly has the power,  and most importantly--how long it takes to get these things done.

That's what I spent my whole weekend learning about in Orlando.  And I am not saying I am now officially an expert. But I was given a TON of information in a SHORT weekend seminar--and most dangerously--I was given links to the data sources and contact information for FLC staff that are standing by to help.

The greatest part of this is that I now have enough knowledge to know exactly what I did not know before, where to get the information I need, and contact information for the officials and professionals that live and breathe this issue 24-7, 365.  And, again,  these folks want to help us going forward.

So it was  INCREDIBLY beneficial for me (and for my constituents in Escambia County) to be able to attend this conference:  I met fellow TPO and  MPO members from around the state, found out WHO to call for real answers, and what we need to do to move legitimately needed and necessary projects forward in Escambia County. 

I'm looking forward, now more than ever, to becoming the chairman of the TPO later this  summer--now I feel like I have the additional information I need to be as effective as I can possibly be in this new position for the people that pay my salary.

Stay tuned and look out!

Tremendous Concerns over Proposed Bay Bridge Design

At the TPO meeting this morning the big item of concern was the plan for the replacement of the Pensacola Bay Bridge.  The plan to stage the construction with one side being utilized for travel both directions was panned by many in attendance.  The issue is that the width of the travel lanes are going to be even more narrow on the bridge during construction than are the lanes currently--and the current lane widths barely allow access by fire/emergency vehicles now.

Everyone, so far as I could tell, agrees that the eventual finished product will be amazing, but for the two year period where we will have to rely on just one side of the bridge span to accommodate traffic in both directions--this plan still needs work.  The police chief of Gulf Breeze, the Gulf Breeze mayor, the deputy fire chief of Gulf Breeze, Escambia County Emergency Management Director, and others spoke out with dire warnings about this plan going forward.  "We do 2,900 trips a year on the bridge as is" said one ambulance driver who spoke.  He continued "We barely have enough room to maneuver our vehicles as it is right now, and sometimes we clip the mirrors of other vehicles....with even more narrow lanes, we are going to have problems."

Another concern:  That drivers that glance over at the new construction happening on the bay will increase the number of rear-end collisions on the existing bridge.  "I think we're all guilty of rubber necking and looking at stuff that is going on around us when we should be watching the road--I know I am" said the Gulf Breeze police chief.  "This will make that situation even more concerning"

My sense is that the contractor that is doing this design build project will come back after the new year, to February's TPO meeting, with a new phasing strategy based upon the concerns voiced today--as it is abundantly clear from purely a safety perspective the current plan is a non-starter.....