Northeast Gateway Will Come Down to Traffic Study

Northeast Gateway Will Come Down to Traffic Study

It appears the fate of the proposed Northeast Gateway, a new road slated to connect with Shamrock Road in Killearn Estates, rests with the outcome of a traffic analysis. The analysis will be completed sometime in December.

At Thursday’s Blueprint meeting, it became clear that elected officials were impacted by the organized opposition to the road generated largely by Killearn Estates residents.

The Killearn Homeowners Association have actively lobbied against the project and even hired their own traffic consultants. Residents fear that the project will result in more traffic routed through the neighborhood.

While several elected officials questioned the project, in the end a decision was delayed until later this year. Elected officials did vote to expand the scope of the traffic analysis and allowed for increased transparency.

22 Responses to "Northeast Gateway Will Come Down to Traffic Study"

  1. I guess one major question I have for both of the traffic studies ( city and HOA) is what model are they using? Has the long range model been brought up to date? has it been calibrated and validated? Various scenarios need to include an option for an interchange with I-10 at Welaunee, since that is what is in the Blueprint plan and the CRTPA long range plan.

  2. It’s unfortunate that so much sensationalized incorrect information have been spread on this NE Gateway. It has been thoroughly vetted for 20 years. Everyone is in agreement with another I-10 interchange to relieve the congestion. The Shamrock Connection will be TWO (2) lanes, NOT four! The primary beneficiaries will be Killearn residents that will want to get to CCNE or I-10. What interest would anyone on CCNE have to go to Thomasville Rd via Killearn? That is illogical. Killearn residents wanting to get to the Brand New 60,000 sq. Ft. Senior Center in Canopy, will benefit greatly with this new Shamrock Extension. How many complaints were there over the Blairstone extension, it is one of the most beautiful Roads in Tallahassee! It is 4 lane.

  3. Lightsey Help? NO!

    Her close ties to the Welaunee debacle certainly put this connector road into Killearn, in the first place, along with her successor Nancy Miller!

    Both will soon have some major questions to answer as to why citizens were not aware the City and it’s citizens are under an FDEP Consent Order since 2009 and another in 2012 for a terrible antiquated raw sewage distribution system which spilled over 1.3 million gallons just in 2018! The City Underground Utility Division committed at LEAST $3 Million in Operating Funds, without City Commission approving either CO and no transparency to the public….both under Lightsey and Miller’s tenure!

    Remember the spill at McLoughlin in September which spilled over 100K gallons, followed by another in December?

  4. Your Democrat elected officials you all love to vote in mass for might throw Killearn a bone and promise you those concrete block beige colored walls that Blairstone has on the north side.
    This is not the place to wonder why Blairstone has no walls on the south side (Bill Proctor can ask that question).
    Only problem is those walls stop the cooling winds in the summer and provide great home invasion cover.
    But if Mayor Daily can do his best Mayor Quimby (from The Simpsons) and make you all feel special it will cut out all the complaints!!!
    Let The Construction (and associated kickbacks…err…I mean campaign contributions) Begin!!!

  5. I have said this many times………. Try enforcing the “Distracted Driving Laws” on Thomasville Road. I drive down that Road a lot to visit friends and there are always a LOT of people driving while on their Cell Phones. They stop Short at the Lights and take for ever to go when the lights turn green. That’s why it seems there is a lot of Traffic on the Road, it’d hardly moving because of all the people on there Cell Phones. You don’t need any more Roads in that part of town, if it truly IS that bad, change your Rules/Laws about Canopy Roads and Widen Centerville.

  6. I don’t remember reading about a Shamrock connection when the parkway was first proposed or I have would have been against it. Now that the developers and City officials get together and want to move the goal posts, seems like bait and switch and it should not be allowed. Developers tried to do the same thing when Roberts elementary was going up and they proposed moving the entrance to Donnybrook instead of where it should have logically been, at Pimlico. Consequently, Unit 12 fought it and won to move the entrance to Pimlico. Stay Strong KHO!

  7. Sounds like its gonna happen to the residents of Killearn.
    If its anything like the 4 lane Blairstone the average speed will run just a little south of 55MPH.
    Yeah I know you will have the same 35MPH signs as Blairsto ne…but you Killearn residents are a part of the speeding problem on Blairstone too.
    Tallahassee just can not go 35MPH on a 4 lane…never gonna happen.
    Keep your kids away from that new “freeway running thru your yard” (like that John Melloncamp/Cougar song).

  8. Where was the Killearn HOA and their green shirts when (Indicted) JT Burnett rolled up to the City Commission with his entourage to lobby for a comp plan amendment to change the Killearn North Golf Course into a residential development? Why did Board Member and, at the time, KHA President John Paul Bailey allow JT Burnette & Barton Tuck to proceed, without opposition, to their development plans? Where was Gloria Arias when the City Commission voted unanimously to allow the comprehensive plan amendment, thus, destroying the values of homes on the North Course? I don’t remember her speech then. Talk about a lack of neighborhood protection!!

    The road to Centerville from Welaunee Blvd, i.e., the Shamrock Extension may just relieve traffic congestion on Killarney Way and throughout the neighborhood. The HOA is opposing the road without any traffic analysis because Gloria Arias sees this as an opportunity to rally her political base. Rather than working with staff they attack staff and anyone who questions the merit of such a project. Cue Jeremy Matlow who doesn’t have a clue. I am a resident of Killearn and I think the neighborhood would benefit from the Shamrock Extension. Why not, at least, make that determination when concrete traffic analysis is provided? If the road coming to Shamrock from Welaunee is a traffic hazard than work towards alternative routes and/or solutions. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. Whether we are ready or not– Welaunee is developing. Nobody really knows yet whether the extension to Shamrock will help or hurt. It is such a double standard and hypocrisy to witness the KHA Board lobby against the road and create hysteria without fact. Yet they willingly let the Golf Club and Lakes go into despair because it doesn’t directly affect their specific homes. Killearn needs to elect a new board of directors!

    1. The KHA has and will work to keep up ‘properly value’ by spending the home owners dues to keep killearn a great place for owners ,families and children to live. We will never be able to make everyone happy but we do receive feedback and do polls from time to time in order to keep us on the right course with the majority of our members, We polled the golf course issue too .We had two paths ‘ ‘ do nothing and the golf course would close’ or ‘if KHA worked with the owner maybe just maybe 18 holes would remain open,’ We understand that that may not have made some members happy but We polled the KHA board looking at buying the golf course and the answer from KHA members was a ‘No’ ! The KHA board members spend long hours of their time with no compassion. Because they care about our people and our community and yes we have an election coming up in November, I look forward to new members coming to our board! John Paul Bailey

  9. I live in Killearn and have for almost 30 years. This road will not ruin the neighborhood and I do not appreciate the HOA acting like they speak for all homeowners in Killearn when they say they do not want a road at all.

  10. How can any COT official, Chamber of Commerce official, or Visit Tallahassee employee brag about or claim to be preserving “the quality of life” in Tallahassee when their “Blueprint” plan degrades and destroys one of the finest and most impressive neighborhoods to ever grace this city? Killearn is a neighborhood that impresses residents and out-of-town visitors alike when one enters and drives through. Killearn is undoubtedly one of the best advertisements Tallahassee has for it’s quality of life and beautiful older homes under treelined streets. No wonder it still is one of the most highly-desired places to live in all of the metro Tallahassee area, and Killearn taxes pay a very large portion of the city’s revenue intake.
    Yet our city officials are about to ruin Killearn with an ill-conceived and badly planned road project – which in the end won’t help solve any present traffic congestion at all. The existing 319 and Centerville traffic jams and congestion will not be one bit reduced or abated, and the additional traffic through Killearn will choke the neighborhood streets and cause even more traffic light back-ups, congestion, accidents and frustration at the Killearn entrances and exits. The alternative of using Roberts Road will help reduce existing traffic congestion by creating an alternative route, and will keep Killearn the beautiful neighborhood and advertisement for Tallahassee that it’s always been.

    1. Mike, the plan to connect at Shamrock also eventually includes an extension to Roberts, so I fail to see how a connection at Shamrock AND Roberts would provide less relief at 319 and Centerville than a connection at just Roberts. Please provide any real evidence you have to support your claims. What percentage of people who use Centerville are going to Roberts as opposed to the more densely populated Killearn neighborhoods?

      1. Happy to provide evidence, Nigel. This very subject was covered by KHA and their independent traffic engineer in a late August meeting with Blueprint. This from a Sept. 5-19 Communication email to Killearn residents :
        “Our traffic engineer consultant illustrated with two comparison maps that Welaunee Boulevard to Roberts Road right now reduces increased traffic flow through Killearn Estates and helps to alleviate several traffic congestions that are concerns to be solved, i.e., canopy roads and Thomasville Road.
        Below are results of road alternatives for the Welaunee Blvd extension that we presented:
        (1) Welaunee Blvd to Roberts Road (presently NOT considered or funded in any way):
        • Routing existing and future traffic (see list above) is more equitably distributed through a few sections, and along major collector roadways, without any neighborhood sacrificed to bear the brunt.
        • Thomasville Road congestion is relieved from Bannerman Road south.”

        So – that’s from from a professional traffic engineer’s study on the Roberts Road route alternative.

  11. If I were in the Killearn Homeowners Association you may want to consider hiring Debbie Lightsey to be on your side as she did a very good job on the Blairstone Extension. There was a lot of controversy over that road yet it turned out to be a beautiful road that is one of the best improvements Tallahassee has ever made. It turned out to be a win-win for everyone. I believe Lightsey’s expertise would go a long way for both sides especially the Killearn Homeowners Association. I believe if she thinks it’s not a good idea her word would go a long way in that aspect and I believe if there has to be a road that her expertise would go a long way in making it a good road.

    1. We do not want a road. We do not want 6,000 to 11,000 more vehicles per day. We do not want a majpr thoroughfare in our quiet neighborhood.

      We serve as a cut through for many right now and they drive up to 50 mph in a 30 mph zone.

      We have to contract with law enforcement for extra speed enforcement.

      Debbie Lightsey? No thanks. She helped bring us the bullying all consuming answereable to no one Blueprint organization.

        1. Thanks Hope.

          WCOT is rebroadcasting the meeting on Comcast 13 right now. I think it will be on for the next week periodically.

    2. The roadway extension is the right idea. Killearn Estates will not be an extra thoroughfare, but actually decrease the amount of traffic going through there now. Why? Well, with the extra traffic on Thomasville Rd because of the traffic from the west side entrance of Killearn Estates presently, this will give those neighbors another right-of-way to go to and from work and downtown city commutes. Due to the easing of traffic on Thomasville Rd. There would be no reason to cut through Killearn Estates.

      So the only traffic going in and out of Killearn will be there own neighbors. This is a win, win situation. Not only for the people of Killearn Estates but for all the northeast commuters as well. This goes right back to the Blairstone Road extension plan and the I-10 overpass plan on Capital Circle NE years ago. Everyone said it was going to be so terrible. But man, what a positive improvement both of those projects have provided. Some may beg to differ, but go back and look at the population in the NE then compared to now. Much lower back then. If we had not made those improvements then, traffic would be like L.A.

  12. KUDOS to Killearn Homeowners Association! Stay in the fight! Smart move to retain your own traffic study – stakes are too high to trust those elected officials and staff with their ‘fix-is-in’ traffic study. Remember, it’s not your interest of their political concern, there is an election in ‘2020 and many incumbents will be pandering to you for your VOTE to keep them in their seats. Now is the time to use political leverage along with your own traffic study to shut this down.

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