By Charlie Whitehead
Naples Daily News
12/20/07

Sen. Burt Saunders says the public is expecting six free lanes on Interstate 75, and so is he.

Saunders, R-Naples, who sponsored the 2005 legislation that created the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority, says the group has lost its way. The project the authority currently proposes, six tolled lanes and four free ones, is not the one the Legislature envisioned.

“It’s a project that’s not well conceived,” Saunders said.

There remains some dispute over whether the two lanes currently under construction, the $470 million, 30-mile project that will widen I-75 to six lanes, can be tolled.

The original intent was to collect tolls on lanes seven through 10, using the toll proceeds to pay for the four new lanes. Authority consultants say the financing plan only works if tolls are collected on lanes five and six, however. Lee County commissioners have bought in, at least for a study of the project, but four Collier commissioners have expressed opposition. Collier commissioners will vote whether to support a detailed project study in January.

Saunders was a Collier commissioner from 1986 until 1994. He served in the House from 1994 until 1998, then was elected to the Senate. Currently, he is running without party affiliation to challenge U.S. Congressman Connie Mack IV, R-Florida.

“My point, regardless of what lanes they can legally toll, is the public expects six lanes that are not tolled and four lanes that are potentially tolled,” Saunders said. “The public expects six lanes toll-free. Those lanes are already paid for.”

That’s something upon which Saunders and Mack agree.

“He absolutely does not support tolls on 75,” said Mack spokesman Jeff Cohen on Thursday.

When Mack was working for the federal funding that’s being used now there was no mention of tolls, Cohen said. People shouldn’t have to pay tolls to drive on a road their tax dollars are building, he said.

“They’ve already been taxed once for that and shouldn’t be taxed again,” Cohen said.

That sounds familiar to Lee Commissioner Brian Bigelow, the lone vote on his board against proceeding with the study.

“We agree on that point,” Bigelow said.

That's not the only one. Saunders says focusing on I-75 has excluded consideration of other north-south routes like Livingston-Imperial, Three Oaks, Treeline and 951.

“We need more north-south lanes, but we have several different arterial routes at far less than the 10-laning,” he said.

Saunders said the tolls he’s heard proposed would be too much for working people to afford.

“At peak hour they’re talking about almost $10 each way,” he said. I don’t think people will pay. The average working person won’t. They can’t.”

Bigelow said even if 10 lanes were free he wouldn’t vote for it.

“I don’t see it as a fix, really,” he said. It’s no more than what we’ve been doing for decades, spreading out all over the place. It allows us to continue to ignore growth management problems we have already too long ignored.”

Saunders said he also fears the proposed toll project could delay the current widening.

“I don’t want to do anything to slow it down at all,” he said. It’s fraught with political problems.”

 

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