LUTZ, Fla. -- Hillsborough County scheduled a public meeting for community members to get a look at the recommended alignment alternative that would widen Van Dyke Road from Whirley Road to the Suncoast Parkway.
- Project would widen Van Dyke Rd. to help ease traffic congestion
- Plans include "peanut-shaped" roundabout, first of its kind in Florida
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"Yesterday, I come up and I couldn't get across," said bicyclist Kenny Palmiero who lives nearby and frequently bikes along Van Dyke. "I waited ten minutes. I suppose I could've darted across, but it wasn't worth it."
Charlie White's business, Precise Motion and Control Inc., is also on Van Dyke. He said heavy traffic during rush hour makes it difficult to turn left out of his parking lot.
"It can literally take ten minutes for me to get out there," White said. "Something has to be done, for sure."
Changes proposed as part of a $40 million capital improvement project include adding two more lanes to make it a four-lane road. Three new roundabouts would also be built to make turning left easier.
One of those would be near the entrance of Grace Family Church and would be "peanut-shaped." According to the county, this would make it possible to include more entrances to the roundabout and would be the first of its kind in Florida.
There would also be shared use paths on either side of the road for pedestrians and bicyclists.
"I think that's a wonderful thing, but what are they going to do next when more people move in?" Palmiero asked.
"They just built, I think it's like 600 condos just down the street, and they haven't even moved into the facility yet. So, it's only going to get worse," White said.
A Hillsborough spokesperson said these initial plans are not final, and public input will be taken into account before the project moves forward.
The public meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Gaither High School at 16200 N. Dale Mabry Highway and is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.