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Dear
Mr. Hurd:
I am
writing you in response to your e-mail requesting the Department to
lower the speed limits and add additional traffic signals along U.S.
27 in Polk County. I was saddened to hear about the loss of your
daughter due to the crash at US 27 and Sand Mine Road intersection. I
would like to also thank you for your interest in the safety along US
27. Let me assure you safety is our agency’s highest priority. We
continually monitor travel conditions along this corridor and review
areas where engineering changes may be made to enhance safe, efficient
use of the roadway.
First
let me address your request to reduce the posted speed limits along
U.S. 27. Florida Statutes require the Department of Transportation to
adopt a uniform procedure for establishing speed limits along public
roadways in Florida. This was required to promote uniformity in the
establishment of state, municipal, and county speed zones throughout
state. The Department adopted the nationally accepted procedure for
establishing speed limits called the eighty-fifth percentile method.
The speed limit is set at the speed eighty-five percent of the traffic
is traveling at or below. Most drivers select a speed reasonable for
the roadway and environmental conditions such as adjacent land use and
traffic intensity. National research shows speed limits set at the
eight-five percentile speed produce safe operating conditions along
the roadway. The speed limit along U.S. 27 is determined using this
procedure. Our recent studies have shown the posted speed limit of 65
mph along U.S. 27 is justified. Arbitrarily reducing the speed limit
will result in safety and operational problems along the roadway. You
mentioned land use along U.S. 27 is continually changing. As
development expands along U.S. 27, we anticipate traffic volumes will
increase and movement of traffic will slow somewhat. These conditions
would result in an adjustment of speed limits. Staff will continue
monitoring travel speeds and make adjustments when they become
warranted.
Your
second request was additional traffic signals to control traffic flow
along U.S. 27. Traffic signals are installed at intersections where
the traffic flow justifies their use. The department has adopted the
criteria from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to determine if
a traffic signal is warranted at a particular intersection. These
warrants include minimum requirements, such as traffic volumes on the
mainline (US 27) and side streets, traffic delays, crash history, and
distance from adjacent traffic signals. We are continually monitoring
the development along U.S. 27 and the need for traffic signal control
at intersections along U.S. 27. Recently, we approved three
additional traffic signals along this section of U.S. 27 as the
traffic volume and delay for the cross street traffic justified the
traffic signal installation.
Mr.
Hurd, I want to assure you the department shares your passion for
safety. As you and I know, too, drivers are daily partners in
safety. Those who keep their attention on the road, drive the posted
speed, don’t tailgate, and always use safety belts create far safer
conditions for everyone on our roadways.
If
you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Edward
Gonzalez, Director of Transportations Operations at (863) 519-2202.
Stanley M. Cann, P.E.
District Secretary
District One
Florida Department of Transportation
(863) 519-2201, Fax (863) 534-7265
stan.cann@dot.state.fl.us
 
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