Feature Article

Alachua County Roads

Robert Hutchinson, Alachua County Commissioner

1. Every road in Alachua County is on a list
2. Everybody knows that the vast majority of county roads are in terrible condition and some are dangerous
3. At the rate we are spending money on road maintenance, many will not be re-surfaced during this century
4. Voters keep voting people into office who say they want to fix roads (like me), then vote that they don't trust us with the money to fix roads because we haven't yet demonstrated how to fix roads with no money.
5. All but a handful of counties in Florida have a sales surtax for local road maintenance; we have voted it down by increasing majorities three times in just over a decade
6. We spend well under 1% of county funds on bicycle facilities, but even that amount enrages some people who think that's all we worry about
7. Farming and logging trucks cause the vast majority of the damage on rural roads, but the lands that are serviced by these roads pay virtually no property taxes.
8. We know what the problem is – what is your solution?