Save Gandy.com

The idea of an elevated road down Gandy is absolutely ridiculous….
1) The argument of it helping St Pete during a hurricane evacuation does not even live up to basic math. When a huge hurricane hits all lanes will be open heading East on the Gandy bridge (like New Orleans did). A 4 lane bridge into a 4 lane road (Gandy “Corridor”) and then into a 4 lane highway (crosstown) as is current. What will two additional lanes 30 feet in the air do for this evacuation route? NOTHING! It will be nothing more than an additional choke point / 30 foot high parking lot. As for traffic needing to head West during this horrible scenario, there are streets to the North and South of Gandy that can facilitate this.
2) The second top argument, of traffic issues for “Gandy Corridor” in the future.” We just got done redesigning the street thanks to the state and traffic is flowing just fine, much better than before. Not to mention the only time there is a traffic problem is 249 days out of the year, 365 days minus weekends and holidays. Of those 249 days you have two hours of heavy traffic in the morning and two hours in the evening, 4 out of 24 hours which turns out to be 16.6% of the time during work days (249) there’s heavy traffic on “Gandy Corridor”. So, the percentage for the whole year is 11.3% of the time there is extra/heavy traffic on Gandy Blvd.

To build an eyesore such as this in close proximity to neighborhoods, to put businesses and local jobs in jeopardy, spend $130 million dollars on a .25 cent, 2 lane, 2 mile toll road all for 11% of time issue is RIDICULOUS!!!

Listed below are the voting board members of the Expressway Authority who will be voting on the proposed Gandy Boulevard Overhead expressway project.

Brandon Overhead Toll Road. A concrete monster is born.                                     Would a similar project benefit our neighborhood?  We the community think not!

Rose has asked for information.  Maybe we can send her an email with our thoughts.

Please read below.

January 5, 2010

Dear Neighborhood Leader,

Final decisions on the viability of the Gandy Boulevard Overhead Expressway Project will soon be made.  It will be presented to the Florida Department of Transportation and then to the Board of the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) later in February 2010 for a public hearing and final vote.

South Tampa, of course, is part of my District.  I always appreciate input and feedback from my constituents so this is the reason for my request.

I would like to know if your association has voted and taken a formal position on this project.  It is important to me to know the feelings of citizens affected by different projects.  Thank you for taking the time to respond.  I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season.  Wishing you all the best in 2010.

Warmest regards,

Rose

Ghost Town formally known as Gandy Blvd

From email response Sat, Nov 14, 2009 8:13 am

Subject: Re: Gandy Overhead Expressway
Bill,

Being a Mayor and running a beach community for ten years I’ve evacuated thousands of people from the beach several times. We didn’t need overhead expressways to do it.

To move traffic from the Gandy bridge to the expressway is only one mile, and all you have to do is direct ALL lanes east bound (no west bound) to the expressway. You have two entrances to the expressway, one off gandy and one on Dale Mabry.

There is no reason to disturb a quiet south Tampa neighborhood and destroy properties and values when there are other ways to achieve a solution to the problem.

Don Taber, former Mayor Indian Shores, FL

Video taken 6 February 2007

Al Steenson, President, Gandy Civic Association and member of the MPO Citizens Advisory Committee, testifies before MPO for FULL FUNDING of the Promised Gandy Enhancement.

Toll bridge disaster

Main Steet now affectionately known as Ghost Town

Email dated 11 March 2009

I am looking forward to our next informal meeting tomorrow to discuss action our local residents and merchants can take to avoid and petition the proposed Crosstown Expressway Extension at Gandy.  I copied and attached to this email an old article referring the railroad south of Gandy and its potential for a tollway back in 1987.  Also attached to this email for your review is the formal presentation for the extension now featured on the THEA website.  I believe this proposal will be the end for any business that currently enjoys drive-by and walk-in customers from the Gandy roadway. Tomorrow Mikael and I are meeting with Al Steenson of the Gandy Civic Association to discuss and plan our objections.

The THEA Community Advisory Board was selected by the Hillsborough Crosstown Expressway Authority for the sole purpose of viewing and discussing plans for a toll road.  The final Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for April.  By then, if no public objections are noticed, the toll road could become reality!  We need help.

Because Mikael of Scan Design serves on the Advisory Board, he was forwarded the following email correspondence that originated from me.  This email includes  FOR YOUR FILES AND RECORDS the email addresses for those individuals who serve on this advisory board.  It is imperative our voices are heard! See you all tomorrow and I hope you can bring more signatures for our petitions!

Linda Bell

A dysfunctional toll booth

Email dated 25 February 2009

Dear Project Advisory Group,

This e-mail is being sent to you because Ms. Linda Bell, at the Triage Consignment Shop in Gandy, has asked for the names of the Project Advisory Group (PAG) members so that she may directly discuss the study with you.  I wanted to give you notice that we have provided her with that information (attached).

In our first meeting with you on the Gandy study, THEA emphasized the need for clear, open, and honest communication.  When sharing information, understanding “who said what” can be as important as “what was said.”  Our e-mail below, to Linda, is a good example.

Linda is concerned about the THEA proposal for an elevated bypass of Gandy Boulevard.  Her understanding of the proposal comes from stories and articles that have been in the media. In this case we believe she is referencing a story from Tampa Bay 10 News. The link to that story below is provided for your use.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid824&catid=8 ***

The reporter’s comments in that story incorrectly attribute the THEA proposal to the PAG.  In our response to Linda we make it clear that the current proposal is THEA’s response to issues and concerns expressed by the PAG.

In our e-mail to Linda we have made this clear.  We also provided Linda with a more complete overview of the proposal, and offered to meet with her and other business owners for additional discussions.

As you know, we are working on additional analysis that will be presented to the PAG in our April 14^th meeting at Monroe Middle School. If you have questions, or would like us to present to your Board or Group before then, we will make ourselves available.

Your hard work on this project is appreciated.

Thanks again,

Joe

813.272.6740 office

Joe Waggoner, Executive Director

Tampa-Hillsborough County

Expressway Authority

The Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority is a public agency subject to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes concerning public records.

*** Please note: Link provided on original email does not seem to work !!! ??

Remember the much loved Gandy Friendship Trail bridge, which may never re-open, but at least we gained a worthy contender as a consolation prize, yes a shiny new overhead toll bridge, permanently blocking out the sun. A vast improvement, we the community, think not!.

Bill/Tampa

I close on my house this Monday, a house I plan on living in for years to come. It is two blocks north of Gandy. I pray that I do not have to look at a VERY UNWANTED overhead concrete structure running right down the middle of my neighborhood’s main street. How sad that my neighborhood stands to be seriously degraded so an overdeveloped, overpopulated peninsula (Pinellas County) can have a little bit better evacuation system to accommodate people who wait until the last minute to leave their homes. This is the only merit that this overpass has, and to us residents it is not enough. If we are willing to accept rush hour congestion over a super unattractive overhead structure, why not give us what we want? There is no doubt there will still be bad rush hour traffic even if the proposed project is constructed, and it is shameful to think we will sit in that traffic and be in the shadow of a sparsely used overhead road that is only needed for a couple of hours each business day and maybe once every ten years for possible tropical storm/hurricane evacuation.

Please don’t support the ruin of our neighborhood for such a minuscule reason. Think about our quality of life and what makes us happier people. This is what you, as our community leaders, should want for us. If this project was truly needed we would be asking for it and THEA would have been able to easily sell it. But it is not needed and may never be needed which is why we reject it.

Don’t discount the number of people who have signed the petition to stop this project.

Follow-up response to Ray Chairmonte, Executive Director, Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization

by Jessica/Tampa
via online petition comment

I probably travel on Gandy Boulevard more than the average person. Particularly, I travel between the base of the Gandy bridge (where one side of the proposed overpass would end), and Bayshore Boulevard, and everywhere in between.

I believe that covers the entire area in question.

During peak morning hours I travel from my home at Culbreath Key Condominiums (located near base of bridge), to Dale Mabry Highway; peak “lunchtime” hours are spent traveling on Gandy between Dale Mabry and Macdill; and the rest of the afternoon is spent traveling to various locations, as required by my job, up and down the aforementioned stretch of Gandy.

Since the construction on Gandy was completed a few months back, I have encountered almost no congestion in my daily commutes. In the afternoons when I head home from work- which is anywhere between 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm- it never takes me more than 10 minutes to get home! Traveling on Gandy, from Macdill, west, to the base of the bridge, during rush hour traffic, takes me 10 minutes or less (depending on lights, etc.)

I am insulted by THEA or anyone else’s claims that this overpass is necessary, because I know damn well it is not.

For the sake of our neighborhood, our money, and piece of mind, let’s fight this! This overpass idea shouldn’t even be on the table! Especially not at a time like this one!