Pasco MPO asks FDOT to evaluate safety on two US 19 segments after CAC raises concerns about high crash and fatality counts

The Pasco County MPO voted to request that the Florida Department of Transportation conduct a safety evaluation of two candidate segments of US 19 after a Citizens Advisory Committee presentation highlighted a high number of crashes and fatalities.

Pasco MPO staff presented crash-rate data for the segment from North of New York Avenue to County Line Road, noting 11 fatal crashes in the dataset presented, and said extending the study north to Sea Ranch Drive would raise the total fatal-crash count to about 21 for the combined corridor. The CAC recommended the MPO formally ask FDOT to study either the original 5.3-mile segment or the extended 6.9-mile segment; the board voted to approve the study including both segments with comments noted.

The board heard pushback from some members who questioned whether nonconforming private driveways cause the majority of rear-end collisions. Commissioner Mariano urged staff to focus on rear-end and sideswipe collisions and investigate root causes, arguing that right-turn lanes and other factors may explain many crashes. Commissioner Starkey and others said FDOT should brief the board on how access management and driveway consolidation reduce crash risk.

FDOT’s Brian Hunter told the board the agency takes safety concerns seriously and is willing to evaluate the corridor, but cautioned that FDOT policies generally cannot compel private property owners to change driveway configurations until properties redevelop. He said a study would document the issues and help set long-term goals but likely would not produce many short-term implementable fixes because of right-of-way and redevelopment constraints.

The motion — described in the meeting as a request to have FDOT conduct the safety evaluation including both segments and to consider frontage-road opportunities as part of the study — was made by Commissioner Mariano, seconded by Commissioner Starkey, and approved by voice vote. The motion included a board request that staff coordinate with the CAC and FDOT and include consideration of potential frontage-road improvements in the study.

Why it matters: US 19 is a major corridor in Pasco County with elevated fatality counts in the periods discussed. A formal FDOT safety evaluation is the first step toward identifying corridor-level remedies, potential project priorities and any funding or design constraints.

What’s next: Staff will transmit the request to FDOT and work with the CAC to refine study scope and data needs; FDOT indicated the study would document issues and identify long-term solutions, although many property-level changes would depend on redevelopment or cooperative programs.