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These days, drivers can leisurely cruise State Road 54 along the southern edge of the county at more than 60 mph. If you count the time sitting at red lights, it averages to a little less than 40 mph, but the drive is still pretty smooth.
It's going to get worse.
County commissioners on Tuesday said they're willing to accept more congestion during the afternoon rush hour — think U.S. 19 south of New Port Richey — with the expectation that future mass transit will help ease the pain for drivers.
The plan is to concentrate development of business and homes in selected regions, making the addition of mass transit more practical.
Here's how it would work.
Developers anywhere in the county now must pay a portion of the costs for road upgrades when what they develop increases traffic.
The county's new approach would allow more development and traffic in west Pasco and along the county's southern edge before the developers or the county would be forced to pay for road upgrades.
Another facet of the county's plan is to remove the added traffic produced by new office, industrial and transit-oriented developments in the selected areas from the formula for judging when a road upgrade is needed.
For more information, visit the St. Petersburg Times.
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