We wanted to update you on an issue we are sure you are already aware of, traffic on Van Dyke Road. After much discussion at recent board meetings and among residents it was finally determined that we needed to try and start an initiative to make our county aware of the current and growing traffic issues that are happening along Van Dyke Road.

As such, a couple of Reflections residents worked on putting together a committee of people to represent the concerns of the neighborhoods and the surrounding businesses that are being affected by these traffic problems. The initial committee that was established consisted of (3) Reflections Residents, (1) Calusa Trace resident, (2) Van Dyke Farms residents, the attorney that works for the Reflections Community, as well as representatives from Van Dyke Church, St Timothy’s Catholic Church, Grace Family Church and All Saints Lutheran Church. The committee’s first meeting took place on Tuesday June 7th, with Victor Christ (our County Commissioner), Mike Williams (Director of Planning and Transportation) and Johanna Lundgren, (a County Land Use Attorney) in attendance.

Our committee noted that the last traffic study was completed over 6 years ago. Additional information was supplied to show the amount of development that has taken place since the study was conducted, along with the current and proposed future developments anticipated along Van Dyke.

The representatives from Hillsborough County acknowledged that issues exist along Van Dyke Road. They feel the road will need to be expanded to four lanes at some point in the future. However, it was noted that we were not on the current 10 year plan, and were debatable for the 20 year plan. As with any transportation initiatives there is a limited budget in the county available. It was also stated by them that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”.

It is with this in mind that we are reaching out to you. We are asking that all our residents assist our effort in getting our traffic issues addressed, sooner rather than later, by communicating your concerns to our county commissioners. These concerns should be factual in basis. Give facts and specific examples eg “I waited through 3 traffic lights at Lakeshore Drive to make a left hand turn because of traffic,”and “In the evenings I have to regularly wait for traffic to come to a complete stop on Van Dyke to make a left hand turn onto Lake Reflections Blvd.”

We are providing the link to the contact page for our county commissioners. Please use this link to share your concerns and stories. This will only be helpful if we all participate. We also encourage you to share this link with other friends you might have that live along or are directly affected by the traffic issues along Van Dyke Road.
https://webappsnet.hillsboroughcounty.org/Forms/BOCC/ContactCommissioners

In closing, if you would like to become a member of our committee we would love to have you. The County officials we met with were extremely impressed with the group we were able to put together in such a short time. We are planning future meetings with other county commissioners and need all the support we can gather. To participate we ask that you contact us via our community website, providing us with your contact information and indicating your desire to participate in the notes section. A link to the our website contact page is provided here for convenience.
https://reflectionsoflutz.com/contact/