A Pasco County community has been working for years to get a traffic signal installed, but so far, it's not getting the green light. 

  • Pasco community pushes to get left turn arrow installed at SR 54 and Gunn Highway
  • Residents concerned over traffic safety
  • FDOT states the left turn arrow is not warranted 

Bay News 9's traffic expert, Chuck Henson, said he received an email over a year ago from Lynn Zablo of Pasco County. Henson said she's on a mission to get a green left turn arrow installed on East Bound State Road 54 at Gunn Highway. 

Zablo said, "When I called DOT a while back, they told me there was no place for anyone to go left, so no reason for an arrow." 

Technically that's true. There isn't a road that connects to the north, but for residents on Monmouth Drive or Old Gunn Highway, making the u-turn at the light seems to be the only way they can travel west. Left turns are not allowed at the top of the roads. 

Chuck Henson said he received another email from Zablo last week. "Can you please help? It is worse now than before with Trinity exploding," Zablo wrote. 

Edward Apostolidis travels down SR 54 and knows how hard getting out can be. "The problem is that on 54 you don't want to take the risk to make that u-turn. You've got to be very careful because people on 54 should be going 55 miles an hour and actually sometimes they're going 70," he said. 

Henson took a look at the intersection and saw that westbound traffic has a left turn arrow, but there isn't one for eastbound drivers. It seems like an easy fix, but FDOT says there's more to it. 

According to FDOT, the intersection has been studied three times -- back in 2007, 2009, and 2016. 

FDOT regulations say a protected left turn arrow is warranted when there are six or more crashes on the approach in a year. At this intersection there have only been two crashes in the past six years. 

Henson said there is a way for neighborhood drivers to avoid the u-turn entirely. 

Here's the detour route: 

South on Old Gunn Highway to Interlacken Road, then east to Gunn Highway. There is a green left turn arrow there to make the turn. Then drivers can turn left again at State Road 54 with the light. That route adds just under a half mile to the drive, but is a much safer route. 

Is there a part of your morning commute that drives you crazy? Let Chuck know about it. You can email him at chuck.henson@charter.com.