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THE BRADENTON HERALD

Tuesday, February 13, 1996 Section: Front Edition: Final Page: F1 Memo: MEMO: Sidebar/info box: ROAD CHAOS STATE ROAD 70 WIDENING TO BE HEADACHE, BOON TO RESIDENTS Nick Mason, Herald Senior Writer Jerry Camp expects to suffer once construction crews next month start widening two-lane State Road 70 to six lanes in front of his day-care center. ``I think we definitely will lose business,'' said Camp, owner of Oneco Child Development Center, 2206 53rd Ave. E., the past 15 years. Part of State Road 70 is known locally as 53rd Avenue East.

``Right now, traffic backs up (nearly a mile) from new (U.S.) 301 to (15th Street East),'' Camp said. ``It makes you wonder what it's going to be like when they block off part of that highway. ``It'll be absolute chaos,'' Camp said. Camp and other owners of small businesses worry about how much they will lose and how long construction will last. But they support widening of nearly five miles of State Road 70 and said the new road will help surviving businesses and trigger a local growth spurt. ``Once it's over, it will be great. We just have to bite our tongue and grit our teeth until then,'' Camp said. ``I anticipate in the future it has to help our business . . . It will be much simpler and easier to get to us.'' Widening of State Road 70 from just west of 15th Street East to just west of Interstate 75 is slated to start March 29 and finish in July 1998, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT). ``I know I'm going to take a loss during construction,'' said Dave Lombardi, owner of American Discount Tire & Auto Center, a repair shop at 3202 53rd Ave. E. ``I hope I can see it through to get the benefits when it's done,'' Lombardi said. State taxpayers eventually will spend more than $25 million on the state road, which is a major east-west highway in southern Manatee County. Manatee County government initially will pay most costs from transportation fees the county collects from property developers. State government is slated to reimburse the county in installments through the year 2002. County commissioners agreed to advance money to get the road widened about three years earlier than the state planned. Construction will be done in four segments, each lasting more than a year. Work often will be done on two or more segments at the same time. The busiest stretch will be May 1997 to February 1998, when contractors will be working on three segments stretching 3.9 miles from U.S. 301 to Interstate 75, according to the DOT preliminary timetable. Construction planning is off to a good start, according to Bob Rouse, general manager of Manasota Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 1221 53rd Ave. E. The cemetery and funeral home border the road project's western edge, which is the first construction segment. ``Our communication with DOT has been pretty good,'' Rouse said of state transportation officials. ``They've been pretty responsive when we've had a question.'' ``Obviously, there will be some inconvenience for a period of months. That goes with it,'' Rouse said. ``We're trying to think ahead of ways we will be able to handle our business with as little disruption as possible.'' Cemetery graves are located north and south of State Road 70, just west of 15th Street East. Rouse said he needs to move grave-digging backhoes and large lawn mowers on State Road 70. ``Our biggest concern may be our ability to get some of our equipment back and forth across the road,'' Rouse said. ``We've been told that they'll keep our driveways open.'' Unlike Rouse, Donald Williams hasn't been contacted by anyone about the road work. Williams owns Twin Oaks Veterinary Clinic, 2212 53rd Ave. E., which is on the south side of State Road 70 in the middle of the first construction segment. ``I have had no contact with anybody from the Department of Transportation,'' Williams said last week. ``I understand they will be working mostly on the (north) side of the road, but I don't know how long it's going to be and when it's starting. ``It's going to hurt us, but I don't know how much,'' Williams said. ``I won't know what we are going to do until we see what happens.'' Williams said he may extend business hours so some customers can avoid construction delays. ``It depends how bad it is and my energy level,'' Williams said. ``We've had evening hours before, but I don't like it because there are a lot of no-shows.'' Williams said the bright spot is the contractor, Gator Asphalt Co. The company received a $5.03 million contract to widen a one-mile section from west of 15th Street East to west of U.S. 301. It's a 13-month project starting March 29. ``Gator usually does what they say and does it on time. I am happy they have the contract,'' Williams said. DOT will solicit bids from contractors within a year for the three other segments. Gator Asphalt first will build four new lanes on the north side of the existing road and then replace the existing two lanes to complete the six-lane job, Presi dent Thomas Downs said. ``The old road will stay there until the other phase is built,'' Downs said. ``(Motorists) will be able to use the existing road for half the job. Life will go on as normal on the south side of the road.'' Only businesses on the north side - such as the funeral home, Oneco Elementary School and the post office - face disruptions from late March through about October, Downs said. School buses using State Road 70 will be detoured to nearby 51st Avenue East during construction, Oneco Assistant Principal Mike Westfall said. ``We have some come off 51st now,'' Westfall said. ``It wouldn't be a major change for us.'' More concern is for an undetermined number of children crossing the road while walking to school, Westfall said. A school-crossing guard now is stationed by the highway during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal. Other safety precautions will be discussed this week when school and DOT officials meet, he said. The south side of State Road 70 will be the focus during the second half of Gator Asphalt's contract - from October through April 1997. ``That's when we'll tear out the (existing) road,'' Downs said. ``At that time, there will be some inconvenience for businesses to the south,'' he said. ``But we will have to make passable driveways. They won't be shut down. . . . We can't close them off. ``There may be a period for an hour or so where we close access to bury a pipe crossing a driveway, but for the most part we have to leave them egress and ingress to their property,'' Downs said. Downs said business owners are welcome to attend weekly meetings during construction. ``I don't see any reason why they couldn't come and find out what's going on,'' Downs said. ``We've done this before and invited people, but they never showed up.'' DOT officials said Gator Asphalt and contractors on later segments must keep paths open leading to and from businesses. ``This is our policy, and we will enforce it,'' said Tom Pridgen, DOT district roadway design engineer in Bartow overseeing the State Road 70 project. ``There will be some disruption. Our policy is to minimize it as much as possible and maintain access to adjacent properties during construction,'' Pridgen said. Ron Iehl isn't convinced, based on past experience. Iehl owns Woody's Bar-B-Q restaurant, 3142 53rd Ave. E., which is located in the second segment of State Road 70 widening. He also owns the Woody's at 6696 Cortez Road, which lost 10 percent to 15 percent of its business when that road was widened two years ago and when Cortez Bridge was closed for repairs two months last fall. ``When (Cortez) Road was being widened, it was impossible to get out on the road,'' Iehl said. ``Then they came along and closed the bridge. You would think somebody would have thought to re pair the bridge at the same time (the road was widened).'' Iehl expects to take another hit at Woody's on State Road 70 during construction there from January 1997 until February 1998. ``Business is going to go down, a tremendous drop in business, I'm sure,'' Iehl said. He worries most about his lunch crowd. Most customers must get in, eat and get back to work within an hour. ``When the construction starts, we'll figure out whatever it takes to get people in,'' he said. ``I might even run a map in the paper or something.'' Other business owners along Cortez Road sympathize with business owners along State Road 70. ``When they closed the bridge, I lost all the traffic business,'' said Lou Nassar, owner of Cortez Market, 12203 Cortez Road. ``That was approximately 30-35 percent of my business was lost.'' Nassar offered suggestions to State Road 70 businesses. ``The main thing I could advise them is to cut down on their expenses,'' Nassar said. ``If they have three or four employees, let somebody go on layoff. Also maybe don't overstock yourself. Try to buy just what's necessary. Don't overbuy because you will be in a hole.'' Nassar changed his store's schedule during road and bridge construction. He stayed open later during the week but closed on Sunday. ``I am here all the time, so I stayed a couple hours later. I did that myself, not employees, to get more business,'' he said. ``I also closed Sundays because it was a dead day for me. Since there was no beach traffic, there was no business that day.'' Business owners along State Road 70 should meet and choose someone to work with DOT and contractors during the road project, said Bob Crowe, general manager of Seafood Shack restaurant, 4110 127th St. W. Tom Russell won't see State Road 70 construction in front of his business for at least 14 months, but he already feels a pinch. ``I got notification last week that I have to take my (business) sign down this month because it's in the right-of-way,'' said Russell, owner of All American Tire & Accessory Center, 5129 53rd Ave. E. ``Why does it have to be moved so soon? It's not in anybody's way. That, I thought, was a little bit unusual,'' Russell said. ``They've got their reasons, I guess. Let's face it. What can I do to stop it?'' Rights-of-way must be acquired and cleared of obstructions before contractors submit bids, said Pridgen, the DOT official. ``We understand his concern, but for us to let the job, all the right-of-way has to be cleared'' Pridgen said. Russell said he wouldn't be surprised if his income slips 30 percent to 45 percent during construction because many motorists will avoid driving on State Road 70. ``Overall, I have a positive outlook. It has to be done,'' Russell said. ``I try to remember that when it rains, there are dark clouds before you see the sun again.''

Illustration: Color photo/Mikula: Help is needed for clogged traffic on State Road 70. Photo/Yee: Ninth Street East and 15th Avenue will be jammed like this while it is widened to six lanes. Color graphic/Vaughan: Construction dates

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