SWFTI News

House bill paves way for I-75

03/26/2004

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Federal measure includes $48 million for widening

The News-Press Staff

WASHINGTON - Southwest Floridas growing traffic problems may get some relief from a multibillion-dollar highway bill moving through Congress.
A House committee has approved a $276 billion bill that includes $48 million for Interstate 75.
The money would be spent on widening the interstate between Daniels Parkway in Lee County and Golden Gate Parkway in Collier County from four to six lanes.
“This would allow us to advance the expansion of several segments of I-75 way ahead of schedule,” said David Hart, a representative from Southwest Florida Transportation Initiative and vice president of government relations for WCI Communities Inc.
Some portions of the busy interstate are supposed to be widened to six lanes in parts of Lee County by 2008 and in Collier County by 2010. The state already has between $200 million and $250 million allocated for the widening, but the extra money could speed up purchasing property or other needs, said Debbie Tower, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.
Getting extra money still has a long way to go, but those celebrating the gift Thursday were cautiously optimistic.
The House must act on the committee’s bill and the Senate has yet to adopt its highway spending plan. Ultimately, the two versions must be reconciled before a final vote is taken. Then, the unified bill will be sent to President Bush for his signature.
“As exciting as the prospect of delay-free driving in Southwest Florida may be, we must remember this is but the first leg down the long road to legislative success,” said U.S. Rep. Porter Goss, R-Sanibel. “It is going to take much vigilance and focus and good luck to make sure that this stays on target.”
Widening the interstate has been a priority for local lawmakers and business leaders. Delays are happening almost daily because of accidents and bumper-to-bumper traffic. One plan is to create a road authority with the power to raise money through adding toll lanes and widening the road to 10 lanes in 2010 rather than the six now scheduled.
Legislation to create an authority to raise the money through tolls and widening the road is now in the state Legislature. The cost of widening the road to10 lanes would be as much as $750 million, Tower said.
Southwest Florida did better than many areas of the country in the House bill. The bill includes more than $11 billion for 2,838 specific highway projects – roughly half the number House members requested.
The House bill marks the middle ground between the $256 billion White House officials want to spend on transportation and the $318 billion bill the Senate passed last month. Debate on the House bill could start as early as next week. Whenever the bill passes, it then must be reconciled with the Senate version.
Although the bill still has several legislative steps ahead, most of the projects laid out in the House bill likely will be part of the final compromise Congress is expected to adopt this spring.
Still, negotiators for the Senate – whose bill does not spell out specific projects – might want to substitute favored projects at the expense of the House, and congressional leaders have been known to delete the projects of members deemed uncooperative.