Pasco County Looking Into Collier Parkway Concerns

The ribbon had barely hit the ground on the when Patch readers began raising concerns about this new stretch of road.

“Because you have flow both ways on Collier, then the cars coming up Bell Lake to Collier, it's very confusing because no one seems to know when it's ‘their time’ to go,” wrote reader Kimberly Canals.

The Heron Point resident first raised her concerns on the Land O’ Lakes Patch Facebook page. She said, “the extra traffic on Collier Parkway makes getting out of my neighborhood nearly impossible now.”

Canals said it’s harder at rush hour.

also raised concerns, specifically about the intersection of Collier and Hale Road.

“If you are traveling West on Hale Road, off of Canterbury Drive, you now have a stop sign at Collier Parkway,” Van Hout wrote. “The problem is, that in order to see northbound or southbound traffic coming at you, you must pull forward past the cross walk.”

Patch reader commented on a story about the extension’s official opening.

“The intersection used to have a flashing stop sign on Collier (Parkway) and now that is gone,” she wrote. “The cars on Hale were not used to stopping and now they have a stop. I fear there will be a death there unless other, more obvious, signs are put up.”

Pasco County officials are aware of the concerns and are looking into them, said Robert Reck, the county's traffic operations manager.

“I was out looking at this yesterday and I have directed that additional warning signs for the intersection with advisory speed plates will be installed northbound and southbound on Collier,” Reck wrote in an April 7 email. “Work orders are being issued to Public Works for the signs and they should be installed in a couple of days.”

Tree trimming trucks and a warning sign on Hale were visible on Thursday.

Reck said the county is also looking into other safety concerns.

“We have scheduled traffic counts at the intersection to determine if any other devices are required,” he wrote.

The $4.3 million extension of Collier Parkway opened to traffic March 30, ahead of schedule. The road routes traffic away from Lake Padgett toward Parkway Boulevard and Ehren Cutoff. The official ribbon cutting was held earlier this week.