[Email] Article on SW 10th Street

[Denise Bogner]

The following article was in today's Sun Sentinel Opinion Section.  As you
can see traffic on SW 10th Street is being discussed again.  In the history
lesson they forget to mention that the Sawgrass ends here in Deerfield
rather than in Boca where it originally was supposed to go and it was the
powers in Boca that influenced that decision.  Unfortunately it has now
become a problem in our Waterford Homes neighborhood.  Even though many
people say there are no funds for work in this area we all know the State
can find the money depending on who is pushing for a change.

I attended the informational meeting along with other Waterford residents
Joan Maurice, Barbara Conrey and Lu Vencl this week about the improvements
being made to I95 southbound traffic exiting onto SW 10th.  A lane will be
extended from Hillsboro to SW10 allowing two lanes of traffic to exit onto
SW 10th.  They will also eliminate the traffic light for cars traveling west
and there will be 2 lanes for cars going east.  Work at this area will begin
in February with most of it being done at night.

Denise Bogner

 

After decades, Sawgrass extension getting closer 

By Sun Sentinel Editorial Board - January 16, 2015

Need has never been greater to help frustrated motorists.

Transportation needs are not satisfied quickly in South Florida.

But three decades?

That's how long motorists have waited for the Sawgrass Expressway to be
extended three miles to connect to Interstate 95.

For reasons that have nothing to do with maximizing mobility, the Sawgrass
abruptly ends in Deerfield Beach, forcing about 45,000 daily motorists onto
the surface road of Southwest 10th Street, where they must negotiate three
miles and eight stoplights to reach I-95.

But now, finally, there's hope the expressway gap will be closed with a
much-needed extension.

First, a little history lesson.

When the Sawgrass Expressway opened in 1986, critics didn't see the need for
a bypass around Fort Lauderdale. It was called "the road to nowhere" because
its 24-mile route cut through a lot of undeveloped land between northern and
western  <http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/> Broward County.
But as population grew, so did the need for extending the Sawgrass to I-95.
However, Century Village condo residents - led by the late Deerfield Beach
commissioner Amadeo "Trinchi" Trinchitella - fought back hard. Trinchitella
was so successful that a portion of that three-mile surface-road stretch has
a small sign that bears his name.

But times have changed, traffic has gotten worse, and the need for an
extension that would benefit commuters throughout South Florida has become
more critical.

Recently, Broward planners turned to an outside firm to lead a committee of
residents and commuters to revisit the idea of closing the gap. Also,
<http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/> Broward County
commissioners unanimously passed a resolution supporting the extension.

Jim Wolfe, District 4 secretary for the Florida Department of
Transportation, told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board recently that because
the political winds have changed, the extension might actually become a
reality.

"It's a lot more likely than it was three years ago," he said.

For the foreseeable future, cars will still idle in the three-mile gap along
10th Street. But at least now there's hope for a better future. For too
long, there was no movement toward resolving this standoff.

"We're taking a creative approach and finding out what the concerns are
before looking at solutions," said planner James Cromar, who recently
participated in a similar effort in Denver. "People (there) recognized that
solving a problem for one community and pushing it to someone else's
neighborhood wasn't a solution. Everyone had to understand that they're part
of a system."

That includes the Deerfield Beach residents who have fought the extension -
not just the condo residents on the north side of 10th Street, but
homeowners on the south side who fear more traffic and noise.

Truth is, the traffic and noise are already there. So is pollution from
idling engines. Surely neighbors can see that a seamless thoroughfare, with
service roads that accommodate neighborhood traffic, would better meet
everyone's need.

The extension would "best accommodate the future growth of northern
<http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/> Broward County and would
benefit an overwhelming majority of
<http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/> Broward County citizens,"
commuter Thomas Knox told the Sun Sentinel.

It's time. Three decades is too long to wait.

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waterfordhomes.org/pipermail/email_waterfordhomes.org/attachments/20150117/81979ef5/attachment.htm>