Road project pits city against state

A $70 million roads project hangs in the balance as city and state officials spar over what to do with a stretch of U.S. 301 that runs through downtown Zephyrhills.

The state wants to make the road one-way; local officials say that would kill downtown commerce.

"What we're concerned about is converting 301 to one-way traffic, and the traffic moving through so fast that they're not able to take advantage of the amenities and the businesses and the stores that we have," according to Planning Director Todd Vande Berg.

Monday night, the Zephyrhills City Council agreed, voting unanimously to oppose the Florida Department of Transportation's plan to widen U.S. 301 and make it one way.

Dade City and Zephyrhills are connected by U.S. 301, but many people do everything possible to avoid 301 in Zephyrhills.

"We've been here long enough, we go back roads," said Bill Osborne, a part-time Zephyrhills resident. "It'd be nice if they did something, but I don't know if one-way is the answer."

Osborne is not the only one who wonders about the plan to make a two-mile stretch of U.S. 301 in downtown Zephyrhills one-way.

"We do feel like it will have adverse impacts to our community from a redevelopment stand point," said Planning Director Todd Vande Berg.

But it could be an expensive decision. The state plans to spend $70 million on the project, and if Zephyrhills is uninterested, other projects could get that money.

"We have to spend some money in 2014," according to Marian Scorza with the DOT. "We've got right-of-way money allocated, and we have to have a decision before then, and we have to have the project designed so that we can spend the money. And if we can't spend that money, some where else."

Both the city and state say they want to work out the disagreement. Their positions, however, seem set in stone.

Zephyrhills planners say the state's plan to make 301 northbound traffic only will kill the downtown.

But the state insists plans to keep 301 two-way will not work.

"We can't do a project if it won't work. Traffic wise, it wont work. We can't spend the money on something that just wont work," according to Scorza.