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Mary Alford, PE County Commissioner, Chair Board of County Commissioners 12 SE 1st Street, 2nd Floor • Gainesville • FL • 32601 352-264-6900 (office) • 352-810-1731 (mobile)     
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PLEASE NOTE:
Florida has a very broad public records law (F.S.119). |
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RE: SW 75th
Street -Urgent Road Safety Concerns & Pavement Management Inequities
The section of SW 75th Street that is the subject of this letter is its southernmost mile, situated south of the Brytan subdivision. (See attached aerials and photos.) This one mile 2-lane roadway is the primary access route for numerous subdivisions, including over 500 homes, as well as serving local churches and businesses.
Regarding its current condition, SW 75th has hundreds and hundreds of potholes, deep rutting, alligator cracking, ponding, edge crumbling, along with a lack of shoulders or bike lanes, posing a daily hazard to school buses, trucks, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians as they try to navigate this dangerous section of road. It's disheartening to note that the magnitude of potholes is clearly visible even on Google Earth aerials.
In 2008, SW 75th Street, a then 28-year-old road, was recognized as #26 on the "Alachua County Paved Roads Priority List," indicating its need of repair and its importance to the community. Over the next 16 years, this road has deteriorated significantly. Somehow, (perhaps due to a clerical error?), it appears to have fallen through the cracks. We have now learned that SW 75th Street was inexplicably omitted from the County’s PMS program, although the consultant allegedly reviewed 700 miles of paved roads in Alachua County.
So, despite its indispensability, SW 75th Street has unaccountably vanished from the County's resurfacing plans and interactive platforms, raising serious concerns about the fairness and equity of Alachua County's current PMS. Using the parameters and descriptions set out in the Alachua County, FL 2021 Pavement Management Report prepared by The Kercher Group, we believe this road segment is not merely in POOR condition, as are many roads throughout our county, but is actually in “FAILED” condition, a category notably absent from the recent Kercher report.
The disparity in treatment between SW 75th Street and other roads in the County is glaring. While considerable resources have been allocated for the resurfacing of roads like SW 62nd Avenue (Finley Woods), and recently SW 46th Boulevard (which serves Haile Plantation and was not in failing condition), SW 75th Street is given minimal maintenance using temporary “cold patching”. This raises questions about the fairness and effectiveness of the PMS program. Moreover, we see that there are three upcoming roadway paving projects slated for Wacahoota Road, a similar 2 lane paved connector in our area that serves far fewer homes and has lower traffic counts. Yet, there is nothing on record for the repair of our 44-year-old failed roadway.
We recognize the budgetary constraints faced by the County; however, as taxpayers, we expect equitable treatment and fair allocation of resources for essential infrastructure maintenance.
Despite numerous pleas from residents and evidence presented about its deteriorating condition, SW 75th Street does not appear in any official county documents or its PMS program. This glaring omission raises serious questions about the County's commitment to transparency and fairness in its infrastructure management practices.
We urge you and the Board of County Commissioners to take immediate steps to include SW 75th Street in the County's current resurfacing plans.
Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue.
Sincerely,
Joe Prager
Founder, Kanapaha Residents Against Safety Hazards (KRASH)