The listings below highlight news articles in 2005. Please note many of the links may no longer be active.

November 23, 2005 - Freight rail a solution for Orlando gridlock. Things are not getting any better for commuters in the Orlando area. It's not only in Orlando, though. In every major city in America, commuters are spending more and more time in their cars fighting traffic. Each year, using data from the Texas Transportation Institute, I study the impact of increased freight traffic in our most congested urban areas and report on how re-directing some of this freight from trucks on the highway to freight trains could impact a typical commuter.

November 23, 2005 - Transit authority keeps options open. South Florida's transit authority is not pinning its hopes to one idea in creating a $50 million-a-year pot of money to pay for new commuter rail and bus projects. All options are on the table, including a $130 title fee on new cars, a $15 registration fee on all vehicles and a $2 rental car fee, Jack Stephens, deputy executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, told state lawmakers Tuesday during a public hearing at Florida Atlantic University.

November 22, 2005 - Commissioners worried about lost transportation money. Options to be presented today - Charlotte County officials are trying to plan their response to last week's announcement that the state has pulled about $25 million in transportation money. County Public Works Director Tom O'Kane told county commissioners he will brief them during their board meeting today on the situation. O'Kane was questioned about the unexpected loss of money Monday.

November 22, 2005 - Traffic insanity. We've seen traffic jams similar to last Tuesday evening's rush-hour nightmare on Bradenton and Palmetto streets before. But there has always been a triggering incident for it, usually an accident on I-75 or U.S. 41 that closes traffic in one direction, forcing drivers to head into town to go north or south. But there appears to have been no single catalyst for the incredible gridlock that homebound drivers faced trying to get through either downtown Nov. 15. If this is the new normal for commuters getting through Bradenton, it is unacceptable.

November 22, 2005 - Transportation. ISSUE: Congress approves funds for South Florida transit projects. South Florida learned the importance of regional clout last week when Congress gave final approval to spending millions of dollars on transportation projects for the region. A substantial portion is allocated for mass transit.

November 22, 2005 - More commuter rail funding awarded. Like the little engine that could, plans for commuter rail service linking DeBary with Orlando have kept chugging along. Now the project is more on track than ever with the help of more federal financial support -- $11 million more. "The significance of this funding is that it makes the project a reality," said U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park.

November 21, 2005 - Sunshine Skyway honors ex-governor. After the 20,000-ton freighter Summit Venture rammed the old Sunshine Skyway bridge on May 9, 1980, there was little agreement on how to rebuild the link over Tampa Bay. Some wanted to rebuild the collapsed span, the cheapest fix. Some wanted to tunnel under the bay, the most expensive possibility. Florida Gov. Bob Graham held out for a brand new bridge and, eventually, he got what he wanted. Today, the bridge that has become a symbol for the Tampa Bay area will be rededicated to carry its champion's name: the Bob Graham/Sunshine Skyway.

November 21, 2005 - Pink license plates are not such a frivolous idea. For a minute there, I thought state Sen. Mike Fasano was a guy with way too much time on his hands. Fasano, a New Port Richey Republican, is proposing a law that would require people who get restricted driving privileges after being convicted of driving under the influence to sport bright pink license plates on their vehicles. The first three characters on the plates would read "DUI."

November 18, 2005 - Road plan draws fire. Regional planning officials on Thursday lambasted the state's decision to delay or cut back on road projects in Lee and Collier counties, saying it will likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council members sharply criticized the state's tentative five-year work program. They also hammered away at the controversial "pay-as-you-grow" plan, a growth management law designed to ensure roads are growing as fast as Southwest Florida communities. "This isn't pay as you grow; it's pray as you go," said Jon Thaxton, a Sarasota County commissioner.

November 18, 2005 - Money woes delay road, bridge projects across state. Road and bridge projects may be delayed for years in Manatee County and across Florida because the state lacks money to complete them as scheduled. The tentative, five-year work plan for the Florida Department of Transportation shows construction delays for two segments of widening State Road 64 and building the Fort Hamer Bridge in East Manatee.

November 18, 2005 - 511 traffic information system expands. Need to get somewhere fast? Not sure which artery is clogged? Motorists can access more traffic information from their telephone now that state transportation officials have launched an expanded Central Florida 511 traffic information system -- just in time for the busy holiday travel period. The upgraded Central Florida 511 system includes an additional 15 major roadways.

November 17, 2005 - County enjoys bond sale windfall. Brevard County got some unexpected dollars out of its fuel-tax revenue bond sale -- about 1.6 million of them. Now, county commissioners must decide what to spend them on. They were counting on $47 million, but Tuesday's bond sale netted the county $48.66 million. The money will be paid back with revenue from the gas tax levied by the county. "We got a few more than we thought," Commission Chairman Ron Pritchard said. "I want to make sure every dime goes to transportation projects."

November 17, 2005 - TRAFFIC HEADACHE: Bradenton, Palmetto roadways increasingly congested. Road congestion, especially in and around Bradenton and Palmetto and the bridges linking them during the morning and afternoon rush hours, has gotten significantly worse in recent days. That's the reason that at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, when Grimes, Goebel, Grimes, Hawkins, Gladfelter and Galvano opened for business, Virginia Davall was not there to greet clients or answer the phone. Davall, the downtown Bradenton law firm's receptionist, was stuck in traffic and 10 minutes late for work.

November 16, 2005 - THE 511 ON TRAFFIC JAMS. With the busy holiday travel season just around the corner, motorists hitting the road in Florida will be able to get advance warning of traffic delays by dialing 511. On Thursday, the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration will officially launch the statewide service.

November 16, 2005 - Housing fattens state's wallet. Even economists have a tough time explaining Florida's hard-charging housing market. But as Gov. Jeb Bush and lawmakers work on a new state budget in the coming months, they will be able to enjoy the ride. With real-estate sales continuing to soar, state economists said Tuesday that Florida will bring in about $3.2 billion more in tax dollars over a two-year period than had been predicted earlier.

November 15, 2005 - Self-propelled cars returning to Tri-Rail in 2006. Remember the bright red and yellow rail cars that ran on the Tri-Rail line last year? They should be back in service in early 2006, painted in Tri-Rail's colors with orange, green and blue stripes. The return of the self-propelled cars, a combination locomotive and passenger coach, was delayed a few months after a mishap at the manufacturing plant in Colorado.

November 15, 2005 - Public to see plans to widen interstate. Chris Michaud finds it hard enough to get onto Interstate 95, much less drive on it, when traffic's heavy. So the frequent I-95 traveler is glad to hear about continued progress on widening of the roadway -- especially in North Brevard, where he often gets on the interstate at State Road 46.

November 15, 2005 - Senator from New Port Richey proposes pink DUI plates. A Republican senator wants a law to require bright pink license plates on vehicles driven by people with restricted driving privileges due to convictions for driving under the influence. Sen. Mike Fasano, of New Port Richey, filed a bill earlier this month that requires the first three characters on the plate to read "DUI."

November 14, 2005 - State No. 1 for bicycle deaths. More bicyclists died in Florida than in any other state in 2004. According to a recently released report from the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, 122 bicyclists died in the state in crashes involving a vehicle. California came in second with 110 deaths. A total of 725 people died across the country in these kinds of crashes.

November 14, 2005 - Wilma takes her toll on turnpike; $15.4 million lost when fares were suspended. Like any business, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise counts on customers -- in this case drivers paying tolls -- to keep its coffers full. But that financial spigot is shut off when tolls are lifted to ease coastal evacuations during hurricanes. The turnpike lost an estimated $15.4 million in revenue while tolls were suspended as Hurricane Wilma approached and in the days after the storm. Coupled with losses from hurricanes Dennis, Katrina and Rita earlier this year, the turnpike lost $19.1 million.

November 10, 2005 - Tri-Rail's northern expansion pushed to 2012. Commuters will have to wait another seven years before they can ditch their cars and ride a Tri-Rail train through northern Palm Beach County. Although local leaders say they have been told for years that the rail service would be extended north to Jupiter by 2008, state transportation regulators now say the extension won't happen until 2012.

November 10, 2005 - Offshore drilling plan ditched. A controversial plan to allow oil and gas drilling within 125 miles of the Florida coast was scrapped late Wednesday night by Republican leaders in the U.S. House. After months of negotiations that caused a rare rift among Florida Republicans in the House, Republican leaders decided a plan that would have allowed drilling in vast swaths of the eastern Gulf of Mexico jeopardized a larger budget bill. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, worked with House leaders late into Wednesday night to strip the drilling provision from the bill.

November 9, 2005 - GOP ponders tax breaks for gas, utility companies. Despite this year's record oil industry profits, Florida Republican leaders have begun touting tax breaks to petroleum companies, gasoline retailers and electric utilities to entice them to install backup generators at gas stations and to bury power lines.

November 9, 2005 - Area road projects to receive state funds. County Commissioners on Monday heard word that three area road projects are due funds from the Florida Department of Transportation, including money for the study and design of an Interstate 95 interchange improvement to the Matanzas Woods Parkway overpass project already under construction.

November 9, 2005 - Lawmaker works to block more drilling near Florida. The U.S. House of Representatives could vote by Thursday to allow oil and gas drilling closer to Florida, but Rep. Clay Shaw - trying to defuse a sensitive political issue - is working to kill a legislative provision that would open the door to more drilling. Shaw, a Florida Republican who faces a tough re-election race next year, said Tuesday he is negotiating with House GOP leaders to remove a provision in a $54 billion deficit reduction package that would loosen a national ban on drilling.

November 8, 2005 - CLAY-ST. JOHNS: Bypass needed soon. Question: If you take the entire population of Clay and St. Johns counties and squeeze them into the northern part of both counties, what do you get? Answer: Northern Clay and St. Johns counties in 20 years.

November 8, 2005 - Back on track. Eighteen million motor vehicles are registered in Florida, and more arrive every day. The state isn't building enough roads to keep up with demand.

November 8, 2005 - We get up to speed. Twenty-five years from now, Jane will drive to work from North Naples to Southwest Florida International Airport, possibly in half the time it takes today. Jane will have several choices to head north. She will be able to hop on Interstate 75, which could be 10 lanes wide by then. She might even pay a fee to use less busy lanes.

November 7, 2005 - Sometimes, Taxes Are Necessary. Sometimes, Taxes Are Necessary Something extraordinary happened in Colorado last week. On second thought, the voters decided that taxes are a necessary evil.

November 7, 2005 - Drilling divides Republican governor candidates. The debate over whether oil drilling rigs should be allowed within 125 miles of Florida's beaches has divided the two Republican candidates for governor. Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher sides with Gov. Jeb Bush, who supports the 125-mile compromise. Attorney General Charlie Crist, usually a reliable supporter of Bush's policies, opposes the drilling deal.

November 7, 2005 - Drilling compromise may have election ramifications. Most Florida politicians still say they're opposed to offshore drilling, but they are divided on proposed federal legislation that would allow oil and natural gas rigs 125 miles from the state's beaches. It's an issue that could have ramifications at the ballot box. Democrats and environmentalists have been quick to oppose the 125-mile compromise.

November 4, 2005 - FDOT debuts new format in latest bridge meeting. A public forum that usually erupts into an hours-long fiery debate turned into something unusual Tuesday night -- tranquility. With an entirely new format, the latest installment of St. Johns River Corridor public meetings lacked the typical ferocious attitudes, scathing comments and cutthroat arguments between area residents and the Florida Department of Transportation.

November 4, 2005 - House panel puts offshore buffer in budget reconciliation bill. A measure that would permit oil and natural gas drilling 125 miles off Florida's shores is part of a budget reconciliation bill approved Thursday by the House Budget Committee in Washington, D.C. The offshore provision endorsed by Gov. Jeb Bush is designed to give Florida's beaches long-term protection in exchange for allowing drilling closer to shore than now permitted.

November 3, 2005 - Bush: Pombo bill has more protection for state's coasts. The Oct. 27 editorial "Jeb picks the wrong ally" misrepresents my position. My commitment to permanently protecting Florida's coastal waters and natural resources from offshore development has not wavered. My position on oil drilling long has been that we must protect our coastline from the potential environmental and economic hazards of offshore drilling.

November 3, 2005 - Transportation projects get $3 billion. A wider Interstate 75 in fast-growing Southwest Florida and more lanes on Miami's eternally backed-up Palmetto Expressway. A new Panama City airport. And commuter rail along the I-4 corridor through Orlando. All would help accommodate the crush of new people moving to Florida every day, filling up the roadways.

November 2, 2005 - Airport weathers a five-month lull. Big debts, bad weather and sky-high jet fuel prices have dealt airlines some wicked hits this year, but a Tallahassee Regional Airport official said Tuesday passenger totals are up this year, despite slight declines for five months.

November 2, 2005 - Rail trail gets $2M boost from DOT. A long-planned rails-to-trails project connecting East Palatka to Interstate 95 along Florida 207 recently received an unanticipated boost when the federal government provided about $2 million for a segment in St. Johns County.

November 2, 2005 - Public transit shows an increase. With so many autos hobbled by the effects of Wilma's storm surge, many locals are looking for alternate forms of transportation.So far, Monroe County, the city of Key West and a few private organizations have begun to provide alternate means of getting to and from work or other places.The county has what it calls its paratransit service.

November 2, 2005 - Busted lights jam road. Crews in Broward County have been able to restore only about 230 -- or 17 percent -- of the county's 1,350 traffic signals -- a pace that's contributing to horrific commutes along tangled Interstate 595. By contrast, Miami-Dade County has put nearly 65 percent of the county's 2,635 traffic signals back in service -- and though bottlenecks are still cropping up in the county.

November 2, 2005 - Commuter nightmare drones on with only 13% of Broward traffic lights working. If Wilma's winds split trees and toppled power lines, the storm wreaked just as much havoc on the region's traffic lights, knocking out all but 86 in Broward County and creating a nightmare for gridlocked commuters. As of Tuesday, more than a week after the hurricane hit, only 181 of Broward's 1,350 traffic signals were working.

November 1, 2005 - Drilling can help Florida's environment, economy. Strident attacks on Gov. Jeb Bush's sensible stance in favor of allowing limited oil drilling in remote portions of the Gulf are inadvertently emerging as one of the biggest threats to Florida's environment, not to mention its economy.

November 1, 2005 - Give gas tax a chance. A proposal to raise Manatee County's gas tax by a nickel a gallon might not be as controversial as some officials have feared. At a recent transportation planning session, a clear consensus in favor of the increase emerged among the 100 or so civic leaders gathered.

November 1, 2005 - Should state law require generators at gas stations to power the pumps?. Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday he was considering whether state law should require service stations to have a power source -- like generators -- so they can continue to pump gasoline during outages such as the widespread lack of electricity that accompanied Hurricane Wilma and created miles-long gas lines.

October 31, 2005 - Guardrail work may accelerate. If Interstate 95 had median guardrails in Brevard County, 18-year-old Camellia Kay Cox might still have both legs and a roommate. "Anything would have been better than hitting an RV," said Cox, whose pickup veered across the median near State Road 520 on July 15. Cox remembers little of the accident, in which she left the road at 72 mph and skidded across the slick grass in the median.

October 31, 2005 - COUNTIES SHOULD GREEN-LIGHT NEW TRAFFIC SYSTEM. Here's another hurricane-related windmill worth tilting at, after we finish trying to browbeat profit-driven power companies to bury electrical lines underground for the public good: Let's stop restringing old-fashioned traffic lights across busy intersections and replace them with modern steel mast-arms designed to withstand Hurricane Wilma-force winds.

October 31, 2005 - It could take year to fix traffic lights broken in Palm Beach County. As workers head back to their jobs today, they will have to slog delicately through the minefields of cars and trucks at hundreds of Palm Beach County intersections with broken traffic lights.

October 28, 2005 - JTA OKs rapid transit system. Throughout Jacksonville's history, 20-year transportation plans have focused on where new highways, roads and bridges would be built. On Thursday, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority approved a long-term plan that would take the city in a different direction. The JTA board unanimously voted for the route for a 29-mile rapid transit system.

October 28, 2005 - Gas scarce, Tri-Rail idle, so many jump into the carpool. Idling and inching forward, idling and inching forward. The excruciatingly long queues of vehicles waiting for gasoline Thursday drove home the point: There may be no better time to conserve fuel and carpool, or find a way to work that does not require filling your tank.

October 28, 2005 - Generators urged for all gas stations. As South Florida's gas squeeze stretched into its fourth day Thursday, lawmakers called on the government to ensure gas stations have generators to prevent future gridlock at the pumps. But Gov. Jeb Bush and FEMA said it's not the role of the government to inject itself into private commerce, and said oil companies and small gas station owners should shoulder the cost of backup power.

October 27, 2005 - Drivers must pay to build highways. Southwest Florida is rapidly becoming a crowded metropolitan sprawl. It needs new highways, and tolls are the only way to significantly speed up their construction.

October 27, 2005 - Three largest South Florida airports now open. South Florida's three largest airports were open to commercial traffic Thursday, although officials said it could be at least another day before service returns to levels seen before Hurricane Wilma.

October 27, 2005 - Gas companies, FPL scramble to get pumps running. Availability of gas remained maddeningly tight Wednesday as motorists in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast braved hours-long lines to fill cars and gas cans to run their generators. For many stations, the problem was not a shortage of fuel but a lack of power to pump it.

October 27, 2005 - U.S. House panel OKs offshore drilling compromise. The U.S. House Resources Committee approved legislation backed by Gov. Jeb Bush that would bring oil and natural gas drilling closer to Florida's shores on a 24-16 vote Wednesday.

October 26, 2005 - Traffic relief may take toll on drivers. Drivers may have to pay tolls for expanding Interstate 75, building County Road 951 and topping Colonial Boulevard with an elevated expressway, all projects aimed at giving them some relief. Road construction costs are rising, forcing transportation officials to consider tolls as another money source.

October 26, 2005 - Without power, most gas stations can't pump. It was hit and mostly miss on Tuesday for motorists hoping to fill up their tanks at South Florida gas stations. With electricity out at most stations, gas could not be pumped from underground storage at most places. Yet those stations with power, some with back-up generators, quickly developed long lines and in some cases, limited purchases to $20 per car.

October 26, 2005 - Traffic-light repairs may take months. Drivers in Palm Beach County aren't known for being overly courteous, but they will have to change their ways for weeks, if not months, to come. That's how long it will take to fix broken traffic lights at hundreds of intersections throughout the county.

October 25, 2005 - Editorial: Transportation. A story in the Sunday, Oct. 16, edition of the Daily News gives an update on local traffic in advance of season. The report notes that while traffic is up over last year on some roads, it is down on others that are busy and where you might expect upswings. The reason: New roads, such as Collier County's Livingston Road, which becomes Imperial Street and then Three Oaks Parkway as it moves north into Lee County, are sharing the burden.

October 25, 2005 - Gov. Bush supports new plan to drill off Florida. Oil and natural gas drilling would be allowed 125 miles off Florida's shores under a proposal Gov. Jeb Bush endorsed after it was released Monday in Washington, D.C. The measure offered by U.S. House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., would put the 125-mile buffer into federal law in exchange for opening new areas of the eastern Gulf of Mexico now off-limits.

October 24, 2005 - Bridging the budget gap. Senate gives up a pay raise, but pork is another thing In a rare display of frugality and self-sacrifice, the U.S. Senate voted last week to forgo an automatic 1.9 percent cost-of-living raise next year.

October 24, 2005 - Proposed car-rental tax 'not equitable'. For years, there has been much discussion about the best way to improve our region's transportation issues and deal with challenges. As a committed member of the Central Florida business community, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a keen interest in this public policy debate. There is no doubt that enhancing our transportation infrastructure and efficiency will improve our overall quality of life.

October 24, 2005 - Fly through airport security lines in Orlando. The future of airport security isn't that far away -- about 230 miles to the north, actually. At Orlando International Airport, select passengers are having their eyeballs scanned or their fingerprints analyzed moments before breezing through security on the way to their flights. Just bought a ticket? Only flying one way? No problem.

October 21, 2005 - Lee task force charged with shortening road-building process. A new roadway management task force could save Lee County millions of dollars in coming years, or at least that's what county officials hope. About six retired residents who were leaders in their fields - engineers, accountants, politicians - will take an objective approach to the road-building process in Lee County, with hopes of shaving 12 months off a process that now takes about eight years.

October 21, 2005 - Number of Central Floridians riding Lynx buses grows. More people are taking the bus in Central Florida. Lynx said Thursday that it set another record for total riders -- a 6 percent increase this past year despite bus fares increasing 25 cents in March, to $1.50.

October 21, 2005 - Alaska bridges pegged in Congress pork cuts. Republicans in Congress say they are serious about cutting spending, but they learned Thursday to keep their hands off the "Bridge to Nowhere." Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a staunch opponent of pork-barrel spending, tried to block $453 million for two Alaska bridges that had been tucked into the recent highway bill.

October 21, 2005 - Congress proves itself unable to cut back on pork. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, vowed Thursday to resign from the Senate if his fellow lawmakers followed through on threats to cancel spending on a $230 million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska that was stuck into a pork-filled highway bill earlier this year. The bridge, longer than the Golden Gate, would cross from Ketchikan (pop. 8,000) to Gravina Island (pop. 50).

October 20, 2005 - The Bridge to Nowhere: A National Embarrassment. Today, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) will offer an amendment to the Senate's appropriation bill to strike the $223 million that Congress had previously approved for a bridge in Ketchikan, Alaska. Dubbed by many the "Bridge to Nowhere," the bridge would connect the town of Ketchikan (population 8,900) with its airport on the Island of Gravina (population 50) at a cost to federal taxpayers of $320 million.

October 19, 2005 - Marcus wants to 'fast track' Tri-Rail into North Palm Beach County. North Palm Beach County may not have to wait for the 2015 construction of a Tri-Rail system linking Jupiter and Miami and all points between if Palm Beach County Commissioner Karen Marcus can facilitate some "fast-tracking."

October 19, 2005 - Lee commissioners OK creation of a local I-75 authority. Lee County commissioners added their approval Tuesday to that of their Collier County counterparts, clearing the way for the creation of the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority. The unanimous vote in Lee came despite suspicions by one commissioner that building express lanes on Interstate 75 with toll money won't be feasible.

October 19, 2005 - Plan for Fort Lauderdale airport calls for third runway and more gates. Although the fate of a second major runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport remains unsettled, county officials are beginning to explore whether they eventually should build a third runway for commercial jets and add dozens of new gates.

October 19, 2005 - Give locals more say. Our position: The extra state dollars set aside for managing growth still aren't enough. There were high-fives all around this year when lawmakers passed landmark growth-management reforms, including some $5 billion over the next five years to address a backlog of needed transportation, school and water-supply improvements.

October 18, 2005 - U.S. 98 authority seeks autonomy from transportation department. The Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority has taken steps to distance itself from the Florida Department of Transportation. Authority members voted to have their board certified as a Local Agency Program and become eligible to receive federal and state money for road projects.

October 18, 2005 - Toll road could cost $2 billion. They haven't finished studying the idea, but Florida's turnpike officials said they already know two things about a potential cross-state toll road originating in Manatee County: It won't be cheap to build, and toll revenue won't pay for it all. The price tag for the conceptual, 130-mile road could top $2 billion, with tolls likely covering only a quarter to half of the bill.

October 18, 2005 - Greenspan says world will have to live with high oil prices.... US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said the world would have to learn to live with high oil prices and their negative impact on economic growth "for some time to come". "Although the global economic expansion appears to have been on a reasonably firm path through the summer months, the recent surge in energy prices will undoubtedly be a drag from now on," Greenspan told business leaders.

October 17, 2005 - Fuel price hikes spawn new business approaches. Depending on the source in Boca Raton or other parts of America, there doesn’t appear to be a direct cause and effect relationship between a reduction or increase in the overall amount of business travel. Each company has different needs, objectives and priorities. However, it’s clear when talking to local firms, everyone is affected in one way or another by dramatic fuel price hikes.

October 17, 2005 - Poll: How much is too much for gasoline?. Many motorists these days are complaining about the cost of gasoline, but what people consider a fair price varies greatly, depending on where they live. Americans angrily grit their teeth as they pump $3-per-gallon gas. They think $2 is about right. In Britain, $3 sounds fanciful - people there pay about $6.40 a gallon and think $5 would be fair.

October 14, 2005 - Estates residents upset at length of time for new exit. Golden Gate Estates residents on Thursday night expressed frustration upon learning that it could take at least a decade for a new interchange on Interstate 75 at Everglades Boulevard to be built. Several residents said the project is sorely needed now, and were disappointed to learn of the studies and hurdles that needed to be overcome for such a project to come to fruition.

October 14, 2005 - Bids for Crosstown Parkway at least $6.3 million over Port St. Lucie's budget. Three companies submitted budget-busting price quotes for the construction of the first phase of the Crosstown Parkway and city officials are scrambling to find ways to cut costs. The high bids might have been caused by the rising costs of fuel as well as steel, concrete and paving materials that are in short supply since two major hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast.

October 14, 2005 - Elevated Crosstown won't accept coins. When the elevated lanes on the Crosstown open, traffic won't stop to pay tolls. Regular commuters will have to pay in advance, most likely by using a SunPass. With a SunPass, drivers prepay using a small box attached to the windshield. Money is deducted when users zip through designated lanes.

October 14, 2005 - Highway improvements package gets green light. Brevard drivers finally will get some relief, as a $47 million bond issue to relieve congestion and improve roads was approved unanimously on Thursday by the Brevard County Commission. However, the bonds fund only about a tenth of $417 million in needed road improvements.

October 14, 2005 - Leaders consider measures to offset roads deficit. Manatee County drivers should pay more at the pump, and at the toll gate, to help reduce the county's mounting transportation deficit, local leaders said Thursday. The county should boost its gas tax by a nickel per gallon and consider charging drivers to use new lanes on Interstate 75 and several proposed bridges, a cross section of elected officials, developers, planners and residents said during a brainstorming session.

October 13, 2005 - Authority could speed I-75 addition. A plan to add four toll lanes to Interstate 75 moved forward Wednesday, as commissioners in Lee and Collier counties took another step to create an expressway authority to speed construction. The commissioners held a joint meeting in Naples to discuss the creation of the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority, an eight-member board that can expedite work to add lanes on I-75.

October 13, 2005 - DOT dollars going fast. Divvying out billions of new dollars in growth-management funds is turning into a tougher shopping spree than expected for Florida's transportation planners. Since lawmakers approved new development rules last spring and smoothed their passage with billions of dollars to fight traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and dwindling water supplies, Florida's Transportation Department has been combing the state for projects to burn the money on.

October 12, 2005 - New Citrus Connection Chief Named. Danny Ours, a retired Air Force officer and the former deputy director of the Jacksonville mass transit system, was tapped Tuesday to head the Citrus Connection and possibly take mass transit countywide.

October 12, 2005 - Since June 2004, Watson has steered Lynx toward financial health. When Linda Watson heard the top job was open at Central Florida's regional transportation authority, she was initially not interested. It's no small wonder. That was about 18 months ago when local government officials were in the midst of mopping up the very public mess created by a $22,000 trip former Lynx officials took to Las Vegas for a convention while also reorganizing its board of directors and trying to put a tourniquet on the agency's budget, which was hemorrhaging millions of dollars every year.

October 12, 2005 - Get real on roads. Hours on the road in miserable traffic bother you? Unless you're willing to demand a change, get used to it. Brevard County faces $417 million in road improvements alone, with just peanuts available to pay the bill. Rapid growth has been making the problem worse for years, with no solutions. Now citizens have a chance to make their voices heard before Brevard County commissioners.

October 11, 2005 - Commissioners expected to approve I-75 toll lane agency. The creation of an agency that could add toll lanes on Interstate 75 to relieve traffic congestion is expected to be officially approved today by Collier commissioners. The County Commission is expected to officially approve the creation of a Southwest Florida Expressway Authority.

October 11, 2005 - 'Massive projects' to improve turnpike in Broward planned. One group of commuters - those who live in southern Palm Beach County and travel into Broward County on Florida's Turnpike - have been lucky enough the past few years to avoid the construction that's choking Interstate 95 and other area roads. Their good fortune will end early next year. Construction is slated to begin in January on the first of five projects to widen the turnpike to eight lanes - four in each direction - through Broward County.

October 10, 2005 - Mistake leads to 29-cent gas price. One gas station manager's mistake paid off for Lincoln drivers who were in the right place at the right time Friday. For 30 to 45 minutes, three of the Kabredlo's Convenience Store's four pumps sold premium unleaded gas for 29 cents a gallon. Gas hasn't been that cheap since 1955, according to AAA Nebraska.

October 10, 2005 - State: Median guardrails on Florida's Turnpike preventing deaths. The number of fatal crossover crashes on Florida's Turnpike has dropped after an expansion of median guardrails on the toll road, officials said. State transportation officials said that between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, seven people were killed in crossover crashes, in which a vehicle left its side of the highway, crossed the median and in some cases hits a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. By comparison, 39 people died in similar accidents in the first nine months of 2004, according to statistics from Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, which manages the tollway system.

October 7, 2005 - Airports might return to private screeners. Lawmakers, upset with the performance of the Transportation Security Administration, say they hope to encourage airports to return to privately employed screeners. An agreement worked out by House and Senate negotiators shields airports from lawsuits if they switch to private screeners.

October 7, 2005 - Reject Jeb's 'compromise' on offshore oil drilling. In 2002, when Gov. Bush was up for reelection, he was "incredibly proud" of the deal he made with his brother to prevent further oil and gas drilling off the state's fragile Gulf Coast beaches. But there are no elections this year, and the governor has bowed to pressure from the White House and the energy industry.

October 7, 2005 - Jeb right to change fuel view. Good for Gov. Jeb Bush. He has shown the brains and guts to modify his position as circumstances change on the issue of oil and gas drilling off Florida's coastlines. The drilling rigs are coming, probably sooner rather than later. Bush still does not wish to see the drilling but is being realistic about the best deal Florida can get to protect its coasts.

October 6, 2005 - Orlando examining downtown traffic. If Orlando's downtown creates traffic and parking challenges today, imagine what it will be like when thousands more people move into the district, a few more office and condo towers go up, and the central shopping and entertainment spots boom in the next five years.

October 6, 2005 - Can more homes mean less traffic?. Broward County hopes new regulations will entice developments that encourage more people out of cars and onto public transportation. Hollywood might be the first to use the new rules. Hundreds of Hollywood residents packed a City Hall meeting room Wednesday night, awaiting their chance to speak against two large developments planned for the city. The projects would be the first in Broward County to take advantage of a new zoning category called ''transit-oriented development,'' which allows developers to build more housing units per acre than currently is allowed.

October 6, 2005 - Rebuilding after Katrina: Can Florida give up pork?. Ronald D. Utt Special to the Sentinel - Americans from all walks of life wasted no time in the wake of Hurricane Katrina rallying to help those who survived. American businesses stepped forward with multi-million-dollar donations, as did numerous entertainers. But there should be more -- especially from our political leaders. Lawmakers should "give up" some of the billions of dollars in frivolous pork projects designed to feather their political nests back home and redirect that money to help meet the far more pressing needs of Katrina's victims. The recently enacted highway bill was crammed with $25 billion in pork-barrel spending.

October 6, 2005 - Bush denies easing stance on oil drilling in eastern gulf. Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday strongly denied that he has backed off a longtime stance against oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. A report in the Orlando Sentinel, published on the front page of Wednesday's Times-Union, spurred a flurry of e-mails, news releases and phone calls between Tallahassee and Washington, where Florida's congressional leaders are portraying a united front against drilling.

October 5, 2005 - From the Crosstown to courtroom. The government agency expanding the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway sued Tuesday to recover $120-million for repairs to the troubled elevated commuter lanes. The Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority filed a lawsuit against URS Corp., the project's general engineering consultant, after settlement talks stalled this week.

October 5, 2005 - Jeb Bush supports drilling in eastern Gulf of Mexico. Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he supports federal legislation allowing drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico - including areas where he aggressively fought energy exploration just four years ago. Bush cited new political realities and protections he thinks he could win for the state in exchange.

October 4, 2005 - Florida offshore drilling provision withdrawn. The chairman of a key House committee announced today he was withdrawing a pending energy bill that, if enacted, would have allowed energy companies to explore for natural gas very close to Florida's beaches. Florida lawmakers declared victory.

October 4, 2005 - Fiery crash reminds residents of isolation. The fiery collision of a tanker truck and a sport utility vehicle shut down the Seven Mile Bridge on Monday night, cutting off the Lower Keys from the rest of the state in yet another reminder of how fragile the link is between the islands and the mainland.

October 3, 2005 - Poll shows worry rising with gas prices. This one shouldn't come as much of a shock to anyone who is dropping $60 a pop to fill the tank with 89 octane lo-test: Almost two-thirds of all Americans -- 64 percent -- are concerned about the financial consequences of rising fuel prices, according to a recent Associated Press/AOL News poll.

October 3, 2005 - State looks into fuel adjustment for roadside assistance trucks. The Road Rangers, those tow trucks that offer free roadside assistance to stranded motorists on South Florida's major highways, won't fall victim to increasing gas prices. At least, not yet. State officials say they're working on a solution to deal with gas prices squeezing the company that provides the service.

October 3, 2005 - A better way to use roads. Last week in the wake of Houston's evacuation gridlock, we briefly discussed Southwest Florida hurricane evacuation in this space. People watching the mess on TV wondered why Texas officials didn't open inbound lanes for outgoing traffic, a process called "contra-flow." They did, near the end of the 14-hour, 100-mile evacuation traffic jam. It sounds great. Unfortunately, it doesn't work anywhere near as well as it seems it should.

September 30, 2005 - Few attend Alligator Alley toll increase workshop. Transportation officials had their sales pitch ready to justify the proposed increase in the tolls on Alligator Alley, but very few people showed up to listen. The toll increase plan was unveiled Thursday night at a workshop at Naples Municipal Airport sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation.

September 30, 2005 - Seat belt use reaches all-time high in '05. More Americans than ever are buckling up, the government reported Friday, crediting enhanced police enforcement and a growing awareness that seat belts can save lives. The Department of Transportation said seat belt use rates reached 82 percent in 2005 nationally, an all-time high and an increase of 2 percentage points from last year, the Transportation Department said Friday.

September 29, 2005 - Georgia's monthlong break on gas prices to end. Gas prices in Georgia likely will return to about $3 a gallon again, possibly as soon as the weekend comes. That's because state gas taxes worth about 15 cents a gallon will return back to gas prices on Saturday, when the state's motor fuel tax suspension expires.

September 29, 2005 - Traffic reversal for hurricanes? Don't expect it. Less than a week after Hurricane Rita's approach turned Texas highways into massive parking lots, Florida officials gathered with Gov. Jeb Bush in a private meeting Wednesday to review the state's plans for reversing key arteries if needed for hurricane evacuations.

September 28, 2005 - Orlando's 'fast pass' security to continue. A private-sector "fast pass" airport security program at Orlando International Airport has met with overwhelming support by frequent fliers and will continue, government officials said Tuesday.

September 28, 2005 - State hopes to help I-95 Road Ranger patrols. Tow truck drivers who fix flat tires for stranded motorists and pick up debris on Interstate 95 are feeling the pinch of high gas prices and threatening to cut back patrols. The state's contract with Sunshine Towing, the Miami-based company that provides the 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service, does not include any provisions for escalating fuel costs.

September 28, 2005 - The illusory gas-tax cut. The illusory gas-tax cut Politicians' strategy is shortsighted - Congressman Denny Rehberg probably would be of greater service to Americans right now if he were pumping their gas instead of trying to write their laws. The Montana Republican recently joined two colleagues in the House to introduce a bill that would suspend the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal gas tax.

September 27, 2005 - In a hurricane, all our roads lead to nowhere. They were us. A hundred miles of gridlocked Texans evacuated Houston in a creeping hurricane panic, offering an apocalyptic vision of our own future. They were us. Except those Texans, fleeing Houston, were moving, ever so slowly, out of harm's way. A comparable run out of South Florida entails a 400-mile gantlet up a vulnerable peninsula. With more cars on fewer roads.

September 27, 2005 - Fuel fears. If everybody conserves fuel and resists the temptation to top off their tanks, Florida motorists can get through the coming gasoline crunch with minimum inconvenience, oil industry and state officials said Monday. Storm-strangled refineries on the Texas-Louisiana coast are getting back online.

September 27, 2005 - Creation of board could widen I-75. Interstate 75 could carry 10 lanes of traffic by 2020 if commissioners in Lee and Collier counties decide to create a governing board to oversee the congested highway. Commissioners on Wednesday will discuss creating the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority, an eight-member board that can expedite the widening of I-75 in the two counties.

September 26, 2005 - $1 billion price tag won't doom new bridge. A $1 billion price tag on any project -- even a badly needed bridge and highway -- could strike fear in the heart of any public official. But apparently that's not the reaction to the proposed St. Johns River crossing. The Florida Department of Transportation said Wednesday that a new bridge over the river linking Clay and St. Johns counties with State Road 9B would cost $1 billion.

September 23, 2005 - Lynx sets all-time monthly ridership record. LYNX saw its August ridership set an all-time record with 2,211,341 passengers, a 14.1% increase over August of 2004.

September 23, 2005 - Traffic barely moves along crucial Texas evacuation route. ON INTERSTATE 45 - Between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. on this stagnant highway - the main northerly evacuation route away from Hurricane Rita in Texas - traffic inched along Thursday at less than two-thirds of a mile per hour. At that rate, the thousands of cars choking every lane and often the freeway's bumpy shoulder would find it hard to make it to safety in, say, Dallas before the furious storm hit land Saturday. With 234 miles to cover and less than 48 hours in which to do it, well, you do the math.

September 23, 2005 - Rita could pose more gas problems for Florida. Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush has serious concerns about the prospect for gasoline shortages in the coming week because of Hurricane Rita's bead on Texas refineries, but urged Floridians on Thursday to conserve and not "top off every tank that they have."

September 22, 2005 - Lawmakers try to save transportation bill from Katrina cuts. U.S. House Republicans unveiled their solution to the looming budget crisis Wednesday, vowing to save the transportation bill that widens Interstate 75 in Collier County while recommending other cuts to cover the costs of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

September 22, 2005 - Gas Q&A: Why don't legislators cut the gas tax?. Q. Why don't Florida legislators help consumers and cut the gas tax? A. Last year, the Legislature approved a gasoline tax holiday to give consumers a break from high prices. The 14.3-cent-per-gallon tax was cut by 8 cents during August. This was good news for motorists, who got an 8-cent per gallon price cut, but it cost the state millions of dollars.

September 22, 2005 - Study: Taxes, fees needed to fix roads. Local government leaders should consider raising gas taxes and impact fees and take other steps to tap into much-needed funding for the county's pressing transportation needs, according to a report released Wednesday by a local think tank. The Marion County Public Policy Institute challenged elected officials to maximize funding for road improvements by imposing sales and fuel taxes.

September 21, 2005 - Ritas winds shut down Tri-Rail. Although Palm Beach County didn't experience severe wind and rain as a result of Hurricane Rita, some residents found themselves searching for another way to get around as officials shut down Tri-Rail on Tuesday.

September 21, 2005 - Cost of Katrina threat to projects. Pressure is growing to help pay for Hurricane Katrina's costs by getting members of Congress to give up the pet spending projects they've inserted into legislation for their states or districts. But some top lawmakers are decidedly unenthusiastic. "Kiss my ear!" Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, told a Fairbanks newspaper reporter when asked whether he'd return the $223 million he'd "earmarked" for a bridge in the Alaskan outback.

September 21, 2005 - Pay now, or pay later. Cutting gas tax wouldn't solve Florida's problems Gov. Jeb Bush wants the Florida Legislature to consider temporarily reducing the state's gas tax to help ease the pain at the pump. The impulse is understandable, but the proposal would do far more harm than good.

September 20, 2005 - Brent Batten: I-75 may be sacrificed for Katrina recovery. Cross hairs may not be evident on I-75. Or even, in this high-tech age, a little red laser dot. But be assured the freeway between Naples and Fort Myers is being targeted by fiscal conservatives in Washington. Cognizant of the looming fiscal impact of President Bush's pledges to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, minders of the federal purse are wondering where the money will come from.

September 20, 2005 - Time, Traffic May Hamper Hurricane Evacuation Efforts. Evacuating the Tampa Bay-area for a hurricane could be hampered by too little time and too much traffic, officials said Monday during a special meeting of emergency planners. ``The biggest problem is not readiness, it's time,'' Hillsborough County Emergency Management Director Larry Gispert said. ``Time is the enemy.''

September 20, 2005 - Experts say it would take a panic to dry up supply of gasoline. Since Hurricane Katrina cut a path through Miami-Dade County on its way to devastating one of the most important energy regions in the United States, the fear of widespread gas shortages never materialized in South Florida. Indeed, the average price of regular unleaded gasoline -- which spiked above $3 a gallon at some local stations after Katrina barreled through -- has fallen back near levels before the storm.

September 19, 2005 - Energy-efficiency bandwagon sports hybrid engine. When Gov. Jeb Bush stepped out of the Capitol last week for lunch at a downtown Tallahassee restaurant, he crossed paths with Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach. Soon the pair were talking about their respective sport utility vehicles -- both fuel-efficient hybrids. Bush mentioned a few other Republican officials who also own hybrids. "I've started a trend," Bush said proudly.

September 19, 2005 - Rail Line Still Likely, Some Say. A commuter rail line through Central Florida, which appeared to die at the hands of Florida voters last fall, may be getting a new lease on life, and the project includes plans for a stop in Poinciana.

September 16, 2005 - Drilling for gulf oil gains support. Time was, the idea of loosening restrictions on offshore oil and gas exploration was tantamount to banning tarpon fishing or white sandy beaches. Politicians from Florida's West Coast just didn't do it. But facing a steady drive in Congress to lift longtime bans against drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, particularly after Hurricane Katrina wrecked oil production off Louisiana, Florida Republicans in the U.S. House are backing a deal that would relinquish some protections in exchange for permanent restrictions closer to shore.

September 16, 2005 - Traffic deaths surge in state's metro areas. Growth, drunken drivers, motorcycles and the flouting of seat belt laws could all be contributing to the rise in traffic deaths in Florida's major metropolitan areas, traffic experts say. Traffic deaths so far this year climbed more than 11 percent statewide compared to this time last year, from 2,158 to 2,401, according to numbers compiled this month by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

September 15, 2005 - Toll hike proposed for Alligator Alley. Cruising across Florida on Alligator Alley may get a bit more expensive next year. The Florida Department of Transportation is proposing a toll increase - from $1.50 to $2.50 for cars - to pay for needed maintenance and safety improvements.

September 15, 2005 - Martin Schram: In Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, please don't pass the pork. New Orleans fell victim to a perfect storm of official failures. But senators and representatives of both parties have rushed to blame blithering incompetents of the executive branch, hoping we won't remember that they just spent the summer like diners at a boardinghouse, making one request most of all: Please pass the pork.

September 14, 2005 - Manatee on the road to a 'crisis'. County commissioners got a glimpse of the future Tuesday, and what they saw wasn't pretty. Commuters were stuck in traffic from one end of the county to the other, there weren't enough north-south roads, and gated communities in East Manatee were adding local traffic to the few roads that were connected.

September 14, 2005 - Tolls could return before 2015. Would you pay a few extra dollars if it meant you could shave a few minutes during your rush hour drive time? More than a few local transportation planners are banking you would. Denise Bunnewith, executive director of the First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization, said voluntary toll lanes could surface in and around Jacksonville in the next decade.

September 14, 2005 - Gas-spike politics advances bad ideas on a bipartisan basis. Gas-spike politics are never pretty. Motorists -- which is to say everybody between 16 and 80 -- are frustrated and angry. The crowd at the pump is getting ugly. And people are demanding action. But what kind of action would actually accomplish anything?

September 13, 2005 - Citrus planning for parkway, just in case. The state still hasn't decided whether it will extend the Suncoast Parkway into Citrus County. But in case the answer is yes, Citrus County officials want to be ready. After two years of preparation by county planners, the Citrus County Commission approved a set of standards last month that would regulate the areas around parkway interchanges.

September 13, 2005 - Disney road paves way to skip I-4, enter park. Walt Disney World is quietly building a new road onto its property that could siphon thousands of tourists a day off Interstate 4.

September 13, 2005 - Lawmakers hesitant to cut gas tax for drivers. The drive for a state gas tax cut has been parked in Tallahassee. State leaders expressed varying degrees of skepticism Monday about cutting the tax to help drivers cope with costs driven up by Hurricane Katrina. Gov. Jeb Bush, Senate President Tom Lee and a spokesman for House Speaker Allan Bense all indicated the idea is alive but not a top priority.

September 12, 2005 - A bad sign. Our position: The state DOT has undercut local governments on billboard mess. September 12, 2005 When top officials at the state Department of Transportation allowed the billboard industry to rebuild nearly two-thirds of the illegal signs knocked down by last year's hurricanes, local governments were hung out to dry.

September 12, 2005 - Report stolen SunPass transponders or pay the consequences. Like most drivers, Gary Keenan knows it's not a good idea to leave valuables like a wallet, briefcase or CDs in a car. But a $25 toll pass? Keenan and his employer discovered how expensive a stolen SunPass transponder can become after they got the credit card bill.

September 12, 2005 - Cut in gas tax likely to come up. Motorists looking to state government for relief from high gas prices shouldn't expect action any time soon. Although House committees are likely to discuss a temporary cut in gas taxes when they meet Monday for the start of the new legislative year, no formal action will be taken. The Senate, meanwhile, won't even be back in Tallahassee until Oct. 17.

September 9, 2005 - House OKs gas tax moratorium; another state eyeing freeze. A month-long moratorium on gas taxes in Georgia, placed in effect last week by Gov. Sonny Perdue, won the backing of the state House of Representatives in a special session Thursday. Meanwhile, another governor vowed to freeze gas taxes in his state.

September 9, 2005 - Gas prices holding at $3 a gallon. There seemed to be a different price Thursday at almost every area gas station. Prices varied widely, ranging from $2.90 to $3.15 for a gallon of regular. The area average Thursday was an even $3 (rounding up from $2.99 and nine-tenths), up 12 cents over last week, according to the Sun's Gas Gauge, an informal survey of prices in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Englewood, North Port and Arcadia.

September 9, 2005 - Mica: Why I blocked I-4 toll lanes. Recent Orlando Sentinel editorials have criticized me for including a provision in the new federal transportation law that prohibits tolls on Interstate 4. My opposition to adding toll lanes has been open, consistent and vocal, even before Orange County voters turned down the "Mobility 20/20" proposal.

September 8, 2005 - Aviation group relocates show to Orlando. The National Business Aviation Association's annual convention and trade show, which had been scheduled for New Orleans in mid-November, has been relocated to Orlando. Last year, the corporate-aviation trade show was in Las Vegas and drew more than 31,000 participants, a record.

September 8, 2005 - Don't cut gasoline tax. It would be popular to suspend Florida's gasoline tax as several legislators are proposing, but it would not be prudent. The unprecedented pump prices of recent days - which do seem to be easing - are not the only ill wind from Hurricane Katrina and its predecessors last year. Repairs to Florida's transportation systems will be costing an estimated $1.4-billion (so far) and the infrastructure was already billions of dollars in arrears before the storms struck.

September 8, 2005 - Gas-tax cuts may shave 20 cents. With motorists getting hammered by high gasoline prices, Florida leaders are looking to give them a tax break at the pump. Gov. Jeb Bush said Wednesday lawmakers could temporarily cut state gas taxes if they hold a special legislative session next month, a move that could shave as much as 20 cents off the cost of a gallon of gasoline.

September 7, 2005 - Bush urged to suspend gas tax; price gouging probed. Democratic state senators called on Gov. Jeb Bush Tuesday to suspend the Florida gas tax for at least a month to help ease the pinch for consumers at the pump. Bush later told reporters that his office was studying the issue.

September 7, 2005 - Cut gas taxes? Not so fast. Lawmakers around the country are entertaining proposals to ease the pain of soaring gas prices for consumers, considering everything from suspensions of local gas taxes to rebates for motorists. But, so far, some are reluctant to act, partly out of concern for their states' bottom lines but also because they wonder whether motorists will even notice the difference if prices continue to climb.

September 6, 2005 - End of the suburban commute?. How much more does the price of gas have to climb to end this nation's infatuation with sprawl? It's easy to blame developers for devouring as much land as possible to spread as many homes as possible across the post-World War II American landscape. But when will home buyers reject this phase of America's growth? And what does sprawl have to do with the price of a gallon of gas?

September 6, 2005 - Commuters: Carpooling never made more cents. Miami-Dade County employee Aaron Melean used to go broke driving from Weston to his job in downtown Miami, until he discovered something three years ago that saved him time and money and made going to work a social event. ''Carpooling, it's the greatest thing,'' said Melean, a computer programmer, who said he saves over $400 a month by joining three other employees every day in one car.

September 6, 2005 - Blinkers and broken windows. With increasing traffic congestion caused by an ever-growing population of residents and tourists, driving on Central Florida's roadways is bad enough without having to share the road with bad drivers. I drive on Interstate 4 every day, and I have noticed more and more people changing lanes without using their blinkers.

September 6, 2005 - Tri-Rail is broken; we need to fix it. I recently moved to the Fort Lauderdale area from Chicago. Most of my years in Chicago were spent riding mass transit as much as possible. Now with the price of gas around $3 a gallon, I thought it would be a good idea for me to ride mass transit in Florida. I gave Tri-Rail a test run for a job interview in West Palm Beach. I wish I could say I was impressed, but I was not.

September 5, 2005 - State transportation officials tout new road construction methods. It started with an 18-wheeler that crashed on Interstate 295 and barreled into the supports of a bridge in Camden County. The rush to replace one of the highway's many small, yet invaluable bridges, forced the state Department of Transportation to use newly developed, quicker construction methods.

September 5, 2005 - High-tech parking meters rake in coins for cash-strapped cities. In this seaside town, parking meters don't grant those magical few minutes on someone else's dime. Each time a car pulls away from a space, the meter automatically resets to zero. Little is left to chance in the brave new world of parking technology: Meters are triggered by remote sensors, customers pay for street time by cell phone and solar-powered vending machines create customized parking plans for the motorist.

September 5, 2005 - Rebuilding highways to cost at least $1.5B. It will cost at least $1.5 billion to rebuild highways in the Gulf Coast region that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said Sunday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Mineta said that amount would be necessary just to restore Interstate 10 and U.S. 90, two major arteries leading into New Orleans.

September 2, 2005 - Retail gas prices jump, deliveries falter. "Out of Gas" signs and yellow caution tape were draped across pumps in parts of the United States early Thursday after many retailers were overrun by panicked motorists looking to top off their tanks as prices soared past $3 per gallon and reports of shortages spread. Gas stations in and around downtown Atlanta had temporarily run out of gas.

September 2, 2005 - Commuter rail hits bumps. A proposed commuter rail system could be derailed because a new federal transportation bill prohibits toll lanes along Interstate 4. State leaders, however, say they're determined to continue fighting for the rail system to help commuters and alleviate I-4 congestion.

September 1, 2005 - Undo damage. Our position: U.S. Rep. Mica should grab chance to allow options on Interstate-4. U.S. Rep. John Mica has one last chance to loosen his vise-like grip on Central Florida's transportation options. To the astonishment and anger of many in the community, Mr. Mica quietly inserted a provision in a massive new federal transportation bill in July that precludes optional toll lanes on Interstate 4 through Central Florida.

September 1, 2005 - Sen. Nelson wants oil industry to freeze prices. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson predicted today that the oil industry and the White House will use Hurricane Katrina and $3-a-gallon gasoline prices for political leverage to open up Florida's Gulf Coast to oil exploration. In a speech to the Florida Economic Club, Nelson also said President Bush should "jawbone" with energy companies to freeze gas prices.

August 31, 2005 - County is in big rush to build roads. An aggressive road-widening program will give Osceola drivers 112 miles of new asphalt in the next five years, 10 years earlier than originally scheduled.

August 31, 2005 - Politicians take pork spending to a new high. The explosion of irresponsible federal spending is a sign of the fiscal failure of today's congressional leadership. Federal pork spending has exploded in recent years. The highway bill passed in July was bloated with 6,371 pork projects, or earmarks, inserted by members of Congress.

August 30, 2005 - Area goes shopping for roadwork bids. Governments throughout Southwest Florida, struggling to get competitive bids on road projects, are joining together to lure contractors from around the country. The first Construction Preview Conference, from 3-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, will be a one-stop shop for construction companies to view plans and sign up to bid for local road projects.

August 30, 2005 - Counties race for share of road cash. Road planners are hoping a new source of money could help bring relief to drivers trapped in traffic on the area's most bogged-down roads. County officials in Central Florida and across the state are scrambling to apply for more road-building money from the Transportation Regional Incentive Program, a fresh pot of cash set aside as part of a new state growth-management law.

August 30, 2005 - Gasoline supply good in Florida for the time being. Gasoline was in good supply Monday in Florida as Hurricane Katrina hit west of the state, but Gov. Jeb Bush and industry officials said there could be a fuel crunch in a few days if Gulf state refineries are heavily damaged.

August 30, 2005 - California Watches Hawaii's Effort to Cap Gasoline Prices. With chronically high pump prices straining its laid-back ethos, Hawaii embarks this week on a radical experiment to cap gasoline prices, a move being keenly watched nationwide by legislators and consumer groups eager to rein in record fuel costs. Interest will be especially high in California, a unique market that some experts liken to Hawaii's because of the high prices charged by gas stations and big profits reaped by a few in-state refiners.

August 29, 2005 - Traffic conditions available via cell phone. Traveling to the airport and want to make sure you're not diverted by construction? Caught up in traffic in downtown Orlando and wonder how bad Interstate 4 westbound is? Cell phone users can dial 5-1-1 and get answers.

August 29, 2005 - Need For Rail System Debated. Sam Elizondo simply could take no more. He sat down and wrote a scathing electronic message to the Hillsborough County Commission, berating commissioners for not doing their jobs. Why? A simple story about the Orange County Commission approving a resolution for a $44 million commuter rail to run along CSX Transportation tracks with stops in Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties.

August 29, 2005 - Mica: Wishing for a resort tax bill do-over. U.S. Rep. John Mica is candid about at least one mistake in his political career. The House Republican met with members of the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association last week at a breakfast session to discuss his commuter rail program and how it might fit into plans for a light rail system connecting the airport and International Drive, not to mention how to pay for it.

August 29, 2005 - New Orleans told: 'This is not a test'. Highways were so jammed that it looked like the worst rush hour ever. Lines at gas stations spilled onto nearby streets and stretched for blocks. Hotels 150 miles inland were booked up. Stores shut down so workers could go home and board up houses. Hurricane Katrina was on its way.

August 26, 2005 - Highway fatality rate in Florida drops to all time low. The fatality rate on Florida's highways dropped to an all-time low of 1.66 deaths per 100 million miles of travel in 2004, the Florida Highway Patrol said Thursday. While the actual number of deaths on the highways increased in 2004, the rate per mile decreased because of the growing number of drivers on the state's roads.

August 25, 2005 - High gas prices are sparking calls for regulation. The soaring price of gasoline has rekindled debate across America over whether prices for gas should be regulated as they are for electricity and water. On Sept. 1, Hawaii will become the first state to cap the wholesale price of gasoline paid by retailers, who pass on price hikes to consumers.

August 24, 2005 - Tri-Rail plans may be back on track. The county might reboard its efforts to bring commuter rail service north from Palm Beach County. Requests for the state to determine whether Tri-Rail trains could be run north into Stuart and Indiantown have received the support of the county's transit Citizen Advisory Committee and go before the Metropolitan Planning Organization on Monday.

August 24, 2005 - New Fuel Economy Standards Proposed. The Bush administration proposed higher fuel economy standards for SUVs and minivans yesterday with a new regulatory system that sets different mileage goals for six sizes of vehicles, replacing the current single standard for all light trucks.

August 23, 2005 - Palm Bay faces bond choices. Palm Bay voters will get a chance to vote on two different bonds come Nov. 8. The first is for $58.7 million and would pay for transportation needs, including road and drainage projects and public safety buildings.

August 23, 2005 - Challenge of U.S. 98. Legislators this spring created the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority. Gov. Jeb Bush appointed the members last week. What is the authority? That depends on the leadership emerging from within, and on state Rep. Ray Sansom of Destin.

August 23, 2005 - Repeal of gas price law sought. With gas prices nearing the $3 mark in Florida, one state legislator wants to take on the state's gas retailers and convenience store owners and repeal a 20-year-old law that prohibits companies from selling gas at prices below their cost.

August 22, 2005 - More opt to use cars less often. With a tank of gas costing slightly less than a used car these days, we're seeing more people turn to alternatives to the traditional one-occupant automobile. LeeTran reports that bus ridership is way up, and we're seeing more people who can walk or ride bikes to work doing so.

August 22, 2005 - A Florida win? Jury still out on road bill. U.S. Congressman John Mica (R-7th district) has a lot to be proud of lately. Thanks to Mica's two years of work on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Florida will get $2.2 billion more than it did when the federal highway bill was reauthorized in 1998.

August 19, 2005 - Mass transit rolls out TV, tunnel ads. On a fast moving subway train in downtown Chicago, passengers stare out the window at an otherwise dark subway wall that briefly glows red with a filmstrip-like advertisement from Target Corp. In New York, companies such as Cingular Wireless and the maker of Captain Morgan's rum pay handsomely for the exclusive right to plaster ads all over sections of Penn Station and other high-profile subway stops.

August 19, 2005 - Politicians Have Little to Offer To Ease Anguish of Gas Prices. President Bush and members of Congress are facing an uncomfortable political reality this summer: They have little to offer Americans to ease their pain at the pump.

August 18, 2005 - Opinions differ on expressway personnel. Five Republican state representatives from West Miami-Dade are pushing legislation to replace the 13 volunteer appointees to the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority with five local elected officials and two gubernatorial appointees.

August 17, 2005 - Questions abound on rising gas prices. Soaring gas prices are threatening to produce political headaches and dampen the nation's economic recovery, but neither the White House nor Congress seems inclined - or able - to intervene.

August 17, 2005 - More funding found for interstate. The $286.4 billion federal transportation bill signed last week by President Bush includes $91.1 million for the upcoming Interstate 75 widening project in Lee and Collier counties. Lawmakers had said previously that the bill would include $81.1 million for the project, which will widen the interstate from four lanes to six and is scheduled to begin in 2008.

August 16, 2005 - Editorial: Bush gives in on highway bill. As President Bush signed the massive highway bill last week, he may well have thought to himself, "Thank heaven, I'll never have to do this again." When the six-year bill comes up for its next renewal, he'll be an ex-president on his ranch in Texas.

August 16, 2005 - Gas prices peak; we still pump. Soaring gasoline prices are getting a rise out of many U.S. motorists, but by and large, they're not getting in the way of summer vacations, commuting habits or SUV sales.

August 16, 2005 - Bipartisan bridge. A Republican state senator introduced a bill in April that was approved by the Republican-dominated Legislature and signed by Florida's Republican governor. As a result, the name of a Democrat, Bob Graham, could soon be attached to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

August 16, 2005 - Bush sees bumps ahead. Training and traffic are the biggest threats to Florida's $57 billion tourism juggernaut, Gov. Jeb Bush said at an industry gathering in Hollywood on Monday. "We have to address the traffic in our major urban areas or our visitors aren't going to be able to get to our properties," Bush told an audience of about 900 at the Governor's Conference on Tourism at the Westin Diplomat Resort.

August 15, 2005 - Florida likely to toughen driving laws. Expect state legislatures, including Florida's, to enact more restrictive driving rules for teenagers now that several studies have shown the tougher requirements really work. Florida actually was the first state to enact "graduated driver's licenses" for new, young drivers in 1996, starting a trend that has extended to nearly all the states.

August 15, 2005 - Forget light rail: Use buses instead. A large-scale express commuter bus system would be far more practical for the metro Orlando area than the proposed rail system. A commuter bus system could be brought online and be made operational within a matter of months and could be done at a fraction of the cost of the rail route.

August 15, 2005 - U-TURN IS MADE ON HOV CHANGES. Stash those torches, nooses and pitchforks back in the barn. The Interstate 95 HOV lynch mob has been called off. Late last week, state transportation officials caved to political pressure and backed away from their wildly unpopular plan to expand high-occupancy vehicle operating hours on I-95 in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

August 15, 2005 - Giddy spending at TEA party. President Bush, I am afraid, got rolled by his Congress again. The man who keeps repeating that terrorists should never doubt his resolve went all wobbly last week and signed the energy and highway bills.

August 5, 2005 - Mica's folly. With congressional approval of a new, multiyear transportation bill, the traffic noose strangling Central Florida was yanked a notch tighter. And it was on the political whim of a single lawmaker. U.S. Rep. John Mica of Winter Park may not like the notion of special toll lanes on Interstate 4. But he had no business secretly imposing his personal will on the entire region, scuttling a reasonable state plan to create the lanes on the region's heavily congested thoroughfare.

August 5, 2005 - Orange weighs position on train. Orange County commissioners might seek more public input before considering a deal for a Central Florida commuter train, but state officials say a delay now could put at risk hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal money -- and the train itself.

August 5, 2005 - Funds tied to seat-belt use. Florida could be in line for an extra $35 million in highway money if state lawmakers pass a bill requiring all motorists to wear seat belts. A new federal transportation bill containing the funding says the state also could get the money if it has 85 percent compliance with seat-belt use a rate that is now between 65 and 75 percent, the AAA Auto Club and lawmakers said.

August 5, 2005 - Honk If You Hate Highway Bill And How It Fleeces Florida. Florida gets to keep a few pennies more of its federal gasoline taxes under the new spending plan approved by Congress, but motorists have a right to be mad about the deep skimming that continues. Florida drivers are forced to send about 10 percent of their much-needed tax dollars to other states. What's most irking is that much of the money isn't even spent on urgent priorities.

August 4, 2005 - Broward officials threaten action against FAA for using runway at Lauderdale airport. A Delta-Song Boeing 757 took off from Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday into a smooth, sunny sky -- and created angry turbulence on the ground. The jet was the first of eight aircraft to depart from the diagonal runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport between 10:06 and 10:23 a.m. The control tower instructed them to do so to ease delays on the main east-west runway. That prompted Broward County officials to cry foul.

August 3, 2005 - Orlando-area roads among nation's most deadly. In 2003, metro Orlando had a rate of 17.6 traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents, a survey finds. Experts say simple and cheap fixes can alleviate deadly problems on urban roads.

August 3, 2005 - Bill has record number of lawmaker-requested projects. When President Eisenhower proposed the first national highway bill, there were two projects singled out for funding. The latest version has, by one estimate, 6,371 of these special projects, a record that some say politicians should be ashamed of.

August 2, 2005 - Parents want to know. . . HOW'S MY TEEN DRIVING?. Erin Henochowicz was driving down the street last year when she spotted a commercial vehicle with a bumper sticker that read: "How's My Driving?" The idea hit her. Her soon-to-be 16-year-old son, Robert, was about to get his license. Wouldn't it be great if other drivers knew he was a beginner and could let her know how he was doing?

August 2, 2005 - Expressway planned through Cape, Fort Myers, Lehigh. An L-shaped expressway possibly charging tolls would connect Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres under an ambitious proposal unveiled Monday.

August 2, 2005 - GROWTH: So many questions. When it comes to managing growth, Jacksonville residents do not have to look far for negative examples: the boom areas of South Florida and Atlanta. Now Jacksonville is experiencing rapid growth. New homes, stores and offices are gobbling up vacant land at a whirlwind pace. What might be a surprise is what various local growth experts see on the horizon.

August 2, 2005 - Alcohol-related deaths on highways fall. The number of alcohol-related fatalities on U.S. highways dropped for a second straight year, as did traffic deaths overall, the government reported Monday.

August 1, 2005 - Miami-Dade Transit leaves riders on a new route clueless. There's a postscript to last week's report on Pembroke Lakes Mall refusing to let Miami-Dade Transit run a new express bus onto the mall property. By the time you read this, the new Northwest Dade Express (Route 175) should be kicking off its inaugural runs between Pembroke Pines and the Palmetto Metrorail station.

July 29, 2005 - U.S. House, Senate agree to authorize $81.1 million for I-75 expansion. Interstate 75 between Naples and Fort Myers was on the verge of getting widened - with the help of more than $80 million in federal funding - under a bill moving toward final congressional passage late Thursday.

July 29, 2005 - Congress Ready to Send Bush Highway Bill. Two years behind schedule, Congress is completing work on a $286.4 billion, jobs-creating highway and mass transit bill that will help states fill potholes, repair bridges and make driving a little safer and less congested.

July 28, 2005 - Senators propose restructuring plan for Amtrak. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., joined two influential Republican conservatives Wednesday in proposing an Amtrak restructuring plan that would permit it to borrow money to repair poorly maintained tracks and bridges and allow private freight lines to take over long-distance passenger service.

July 28, 2005 - Politician rose to power then fell from grace. An imposing, brilliant and canny figure in Miami's sharp-elbowed political scene, Arthur E. Teele Jr. landed in Miami with aplomb, pledging to be the voice of the city's poor. But he frequently found himself at the center of a maelstrom of controversy. The one-time Reagan-era appointee at the U.S. Department of Transportation won two terms on the Dade County Commission in the 1990s..

July 28, 2005 - Champion of Jacksonville's Skyway commits suicide. Former Miami City Commissioner Arthur E. Teele Jr., and a champion of Jacksonville's Skyway while serving in President Ronald Reagan's administration, died after shooting himself in the lobby of The Miami Herald building , authorities said.

July 27, 2005 - Road work on hold after sales tax vote. The death of a proposal to increase the sales tax will push a number of traffic congestion relief projects back a few years.

July 27, 2005 - Seminole demands terms for train line. Seminole County could jeopardize regional plans for a commuter rail, insisting Tuesday that government own the tracks or it won't help fund the high-tech train system.

July 26, 2005 - The 411 on the 511 Navigation System. Whenever Robert Schaller wonders about traffic conditions ahead, he punches 511 on his cellphone. A free, voice-activated system answers, offering the latest information on "even the most obscure highway I plan to drive on," said Mr. Schaller, a program specialist for the Defensive Driving Program of the Arizona Supreme Court.

July 26, 2005 - Martin abandons special fall vote for sales tax. With resistance to a proposed sales tax mounting on all fronts, Martin County officials have killed plans for a fall vote on the issue. Three county commissioners who initially favored the penny tax to pay for roads, conservation land and other projects reversed their positions Monday after local business groups indicated they wouldn't support the Nov. 1 ballot issue.

July 26, 2005 - 6 MPO projects await funding. The Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization on Monday finalized a list of six local transportation projects. But those six projects have a long road ahead before the dollars meet the asphalt. They will have to compete with projects in 10 other counties for $31 million in funding.

July 25, 2005 - SunPass saves. Passing through a toll gate only once or twice a week, I never felt the need for SunPass. I usually waited about seven minutes to pay the $1.25 toll and get a receipt. I finally got a SunPass transponder, available for about $26 at Publix and other locations. I will save the cost of the transponder in less than a year, as the cost of each toll is 25 cents less than regular tolls.

July 25, 2005 - New express bus service connects Broward, Dade. Miami-Dade Transit is preparing to kick off a new express bus service on Aug. 1 that could be a boon to commuters in Northwest Miami-Dade and Southwest Broward. But Transit officials aren't getting any help from General Growth Properties, the Chicago-based owners of Pembroke Lakes Mall.

July 25, 2005 - County Will Look Nationwide for Transit Director. The new director of the Citrus Connection must be a nationally experienced transit executive who can take the system into a countywide bus system, a Lakeland Area Mass Transit Authority member said.

July 25, 2005 - Cameras not likely to be used. Florida cities that want to put up cameras to catch motorists running red lights wouldn't be able to fine them for the infraction unless state law is changed, state Attorney General Charlie Crist says.

July 25, 2005 - Melbourne tax debate starts. Which would city residents prefer to pay -- a 1-cent sales tax, an extra local option gas tax or a 1-mill property tax increase? All are listed as "likely prospects" for a future referendum in Melbourne's proposed $119 million-plus annual budget, set for its first public discussion today during a City Hall workshop.

July 22, 2005 - Dogs dispel bomb scare on Tri-Rail. Concerns about a silver box left on board a southbound Tri-Rail train caused transit officials to evacuate passengers at the Golden Glades station Thursday evening and call in investigators with bomb-sniffing dogs from the federal Transportation Security Administration. The package turned out to be an electrical circuit breaker box.

July 22, 2005 - Lynx buses prove popular. More and more people are riding Lynx buses, but the agency hasn't added any new routes -- leading to crowded buses that sometimes must skip stops because they are full.

July 22, 2005 - A $5.5 million lesson in public contracting. Florida Department of Transportation officials responsible for building the $1.4 billion Miami Intermodal Center learned important lessons from a project manager who botched his job. Unfortunately, the lessons cost taxpayers $5.5 million in overpayments to a contractor who should have been stopped much sooner.

July 22, 2005 - Panel bucks Bush on spending. In the latest evidence that Congress is chafing at President Bush's limits on spending, a Senate panel Thursday rejected cuts to Amtrak and voted to significantly increase spending for highways, airport construction and community development grants.

July 22, 2005 - Congress still at odds on highway bill. House and Senate negotiators were still at odds Thursday over how billions of dollars in federal highway money should be divided among the states, prolonging talks on a long-delayed surface transportation bill. With a compromise still beyond their grasp, the House and Senate were forced to enact the tenth extension of the old six-year highway law that expired in September 2003.

July 21, 2005 - Paint Complaints Could Take A Toll. Repair bills are piling up at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, where toll road drivers continue to complain about an unexpected spray splattering and staining their cars. An authority official on Wednesday said about 15 calls have been added to the 50 complaints about a mildew-resistant sealant being sprayed on elevated lanes being built along the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

July 21, 2005 - Guest editorial: Modest changes could greatly improve airport security. A government report suggests that modest changes could greatly improve security at America's airports. Though they would somewhat increase costs, most of the changes seem worthwhile. The bombings in London underscored the wisdom of taking all reasonable precautions against terrorism.

July 20, 2005 - TRAFFIC: Going slow. If you think Jacksonville's traffic problems are getting worse, it isn't your imagination. The average local traveler was delayed eight hours because of congested roadways during peak traffic periods in 1982, according to a nationwide "urban mobility" study recently completed by the Texas Transportation Institute. By 2003, the last year for which figures were available, it was up to 34 hours -- more than four times as long.

July 20, 2005 - Highway bill agreement eludes Congress. A two-year struggle to come up with a new federal highway spending bill was being extended for two days Tuesday as an agreement continued to elude House and Senate negotiators. For the ninth time since the old six-year law expired in September 2003, the Congress was to approve a stopgap extension Tuesday night - when the eighth, 19-day extension was set to expire.

July 19, 2005 - Report: Bills for transit center inflated. Sweeping mismanagement of a demolition contract at the Miami Intermodal Center cost taxpayers an estimated $5.5 million in excessive payments, according to a recent investigation.

July 18, 2005 - Growth may force Floridians to live differently. Robert Sheriff's 15-mile commute to work takes him 45 minutes - on a good day. When hotel guests ask the front-desk clerk when the stop-and-go-traffic on the beach town's one main road lets up, he tells them the truth: It doesn't.

July 18, 2005 - Registered Traveler program hits road. What do money and fingerprints have in common? For the next couple of weeks you'll be able to deposit both at SunTrust Bank in downtown Orlando. The folks running the recently launched Registered Traveler program at Orlando International Airport are setting up a temporary, ATM-style kiosk at the bank that will take the fingerprint and iris information needed to complete the application process for a Clear Card, allowing you to breeze through airport security for $79.95 a year.

July 18, 2005 - Commuter rail service boon for Central Florida. The Silver Star rolls on, passing woods and lakes, industrial plants and rooftops reminiscent of prefab hills. It glides low over the St. Johns River on its way from DeLand to Orlando and points beyond. The Amtrak train isn't a commuter train, but in a few years one could run along these same tracks, leaving from DeBary and arriving in downtown Orlando in less than 45 minutes. The Volusia County Council recently approved its $11.7 million share of the $474 million project.

July 12, 2005 - Drivers feel pinch of rising gas prices. Driver Christopher Coles jokes that topping off the fuel tank of his van not only costs a lot more now, it also takes longer. "We have to look around for the mortgage department at the gas station before we can pay," he said. Consumers complained of gouging as Hurricane Dennis approached and the state is investigating those complaints.

July 12, 2005 - Drivers on cell phone more likely to crash. Drivers using cellular phones are four times as likely to get into a crash that can cause injuries serious enough to send them to the hospital, said an insurance study released Tuesday.

July 12, 2005 - TRAFFIC: Express lanes?. Toll. It's a four-letter word in Jacksonville. Residents felt so strongly about paying them that they voted for a half-cent sales tax to remove tolls. Now it is becoming increasingly clear that Jacksonville will not be able to build its way out of traffic jams. Growth is coming too fast. And the expense of building roads and paying for right of way has increased faster than even the most skeptical imagined.

July 12, 2005 - County ponders tax to finance projects. Charlotte County commissioners could impose an increase of 0.6 in property tax millage rates to finance nearly $36 million in projects over the next four years. Even with the proposed increase, the county's five-year capital improvement program still has an estimated $100 million deficit -- including $79 million in planned, but "unfunded" road projects.

July 12, 2005 - Work begins again to repair U.S. Highway 98. Motorists could be crossing Okaloosa Island again as early as Wednesday, according to the state Department of Transportation. DOT crews were hustling Monday to rebuild sections of U.S. Highway 98 that had been washed out Sunday by Hurricane Dennis.

July 11, 2005 - Ruling may open more meetings. From now on, everything that a group of representatives from several national, state and local government agencies does when it discusses the possible Suncoast Parkway extension through Citrus County must be done in public.

July 11, 2005 - Tunnel for port gets new backing. New moves are afoot to build community support for what would likely be one of the most expensive public works projects on a per-mile basis in Miami's brief history: a tunnel for the Port of Miami-Dade. The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the port, cargo carriers and a handful of local politicians are gearing up for another run at the alternative route for trucks beneath Government Cut.

July 8, 2005 - Pay for roads now, or pay more later. Some ideas for financing sorely-needed road construction in Marion County have been announced. Most of them sound like a good start on problems that are not going away if the area continues with its growth spurt.

July 8, 2005 - Hybrid Vehicles Threaten Commuters' Trip. Instead of crawling out of bed at 4 a.m. to beat the morning rush, Frank Murphy sleeps late these days. He says he owes it all to his hybrid car - and a law that has some of his fellow commuters upset. Drivers of the environmentally friendly cars are allowed to cruise solo in Virginia's car pool lanes, slicing Murphy's daily two-hour commute in half.

July 8, 2005 - Volusia puts money on tracks. There was little doubt the Volusia County Council would support commuter rail Thursday. But when the man scheduled to make the pitch got stuck in traffic, the deal seemed fated. Votran director Ken Fischer's absence didn't stop Volusia from becoming the first county to get on board with the $473.4 million project to relieve congested Interstate 4.

July 8, 2005 - Nine out of 10 surveyed admit to unsafe driving. Drivers consider aggressive and careless motorists their biggest worries, but most admit that they sometimes drive that way themselves, according to a road safety group. Nine out of 10 drivers admitted to having done something stupid on the road within the last six months, according to a survey released Thursday by Drive for Life, a safety group sponsored by Volvo of North America.

July 7, 2005 - Asphalt costs may affect airport. Rising asphalt costs have engineers at Tallahassee Regional Airport crossing their fingers when it comes to building a new 450,000-square-foot aircraft parking apron, officials said Thursday.

July 7, 2005 - Sinkhole opens near Leesburg. A small sinkhole opened up Wednesday afternoon in the northbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike near Leesburg, forcing cars and other small vehicles onto the shoulder lane and big trucks onto a detour. The sinkhole is about 5 feet across and appears stable, turnpike officials said. It affects both travel lanes heading north, near mile marker 290.

July 6, 2005 - HOV plan out of fast lane. The Florida Department of Transportation has a deserved reputation for being less sensitive to outside criticism than the IRS. This time, however, the agency seems willing to take a second look at a controversial decision.

July 6, 2005 - SW Fla. seeks cut of cash for roads. More than a dozen roads that frustrate drivers in Lee and Collier counties could qualify for part of a $37 million boost provided by a new state program. Lee and Collier will compete with 10 other counties in the Florida Department of Transportation's District 1 for shares of the cash.

July 6, 2005 - Sleepy Florida turns into megastate. In his big new book about modern Florida, historian Gary Mormino describes a phone conversation in the early 1960s between two titans on the state's landscape -- Ed Ball of St. Joe Land Co., then the most powerful man in Florida, and Walt Disney, whose legacy Mormino describes as a 10-point earthquake on our sandy soil.

July 1, 2005 - Even the roads you drive on are affected by rising crude oil prices. Price fluctuations - mostly price increases - for crude oil have made driving on America's highways lots more expensive this summer. Those price increases have also made the business of making highways a lot more expensive. Oil is a major raw material component of asphalt, and the price for asphalt has been moving around faster than gasoline prices on some days.

July 1, 2005 - Congress extends highway bill an 8th time. Congress on Thursday was extending an old highway spending bill for the eighth time as House and Senate negotiators continued to struggle over how best to rewrite the bill that expired nearly two years ago. With the seventh extension expiring Thursday, the House approved an extension through July 19. The Senate was to pass the measure Thursday evening.

June 30, 2005 - House rejects cut in Amtrak subsidies. The House on Wednesday rejected a big proposed cut in Amtrak subsidies that would have led to major cutbacks in rail service.

June 28, 2005 - Mica opposed to toll road; wants light rail. U.S. Rep. John Mica told area officials Monday he'll continue fighting a proposed four-lane tollway along Interstate 4 in the Orlando area. "I'll do everything I can to keep tolls off the interstates," Mica, R-Winter Park, told an informal gathering of city and county officials at The Chamber/ Daytona Beach-Halifax Area.

June, 2005 - Doug Callaway and Floridians for Better Transportation. A Hurricane of PR: In Florida, a combination of grassroots outreach, savvy lobbying and web-related communications has helped Floridians for Better Transportation and its president Doug Callaway secure transportation funding and expose the issue both regionally and nationally.

June 28, 2005 - Bush aide named top transportation official. Gov. Jeb Bush named his chief of staff Monday to take over the state Department of Transportation, an agency that will be working with local governments to help control the state's growing traffic problems. Denver Stutler will become transportation secretary July 9.

June 27, 2005 - County Council faces tax question. Given a choice between a 5-cent gasoline tax and a half-penny sales tax, Robbie Bane knows what he would choose.

June 27, 2005 - Commission to ponder penny tax. Charlotte County commissioners Tuesday will consider adding adding 1 cent per the gallon tax on gasoline to generate up to $830,000 a year to help build roads during a Tuesday public hearing.

June 27, 2005 - CSX stymies Tri-Rail's push for punctuality. Last week was an utter nightmare for Tri-Rail officials and the 7,000 or so thick-skinned souls who regularly ride the train in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. How bad was it? On June 20, all 30 Tri-Rail trains were late. On Tuesday, the on-time rate rose to an astonishing 16.7 percent, only to plummet back to 3 percent Wednesday.

June 25, 2005 - Bush OK's bill to control growth. Help is on the way for a state struggling with clogged roads, crowded schools and dwindling water supplies, Gov. Jeb Bush promised Friday as he signed legislation aimed at controlling Florida's runaway growth.

June 30, 2005 - Fueling the Florida Transportation Issue. A Hurricane of PR: In Florida, a combination of grassroots outreach, savvy lobbying and web-related communications has helped Floridians for Better Transportation and its president Doug Callaway secure transportation funding and expose the issue both regionally and nationally.

June 24, 2005 - Road impact fee on hold. The city's controversial road impact fee is on hold until the end of July to allow city officials time to make sure the math used to calculate the fee is correct.

June 24, 2005 - Manatee moves to raise gas tax, fees. With thousands of new homes and cars coming and construction costs rising, Manatee County's traffic prognosis is grim: There isn't enough money to maintain existing roads or to build new ones. Now it looks like drivers and new-home buyers will have to pay more to help fix the problem.

June 23, 2005 - New U.S. 98 panel faces roadblocks. Planning for transportation improvements in Northwest Florida is made difficult by political turf wars, the colossal costs involved, and the fact that our landscape is jigsawed by large bodies of water. That’s why we believe all options should be on the table - more roads, wider roads, bridges, interchanges, toll roads, federal as well as state sources of funding, and so on.

June 23, 2005 - Tri-Rail commuters delayed by work, freight trains. After two days of hour-long delays because of signal work, Tri-Rail promised passengers service would be better Wednesday. It was worse. Some commuter trains ran nearly two hours late because four CSX Transportation freight trains were on the corridor during morning rush-hour.

June 22, 2005 - County looks at road loans. So many roads in Osceola County need widening that the County Commission wants to abandon its traditional pay-as-you-go system and start borrowing money to get the work done sooner. Commissioners have given County Manager Ed Hunzeker a to-do list of roads they want widened, with the authorization to hire more project managers and issue bonds if necessary to speed up the work.

June 22, 2005 - Penny tax could add $750,000 for roads. Charlotte County commissioners will consider adding 1 cent to the gallon tax on gasoline to generate up to $750,000 a year to help build and maintain roads during a June 28 public hearing. If approved, the additional penny, which can be assessed beginning Jan. 1, will boost county gasoline taxes to 15 cents a gallon -- the most allowed by state law.

June 22, 2005 - Large panel will rank transit aims. Now that a penny transportation sales tax looks like it's headed for the ballot in 2006, Broward County commissioners are looking for ways to convince residents they should pass it. They agreed Tuesday to give the job of promoting the tax to their public relations staff, and will appoint at least 21 people to an advisory board to help them determine how to rank their transportation wish list.

June 22, 2005 - Biometrics ID system debuts at Orlando International Airport. Brigitte Goersch placed her hand on a screen that copied her fingerprints, and she then stood in front of an ATM-like machine that captured an image of her eye's iris. A private company hopes as many as 30,000 other people this year will follow the lead of the security chief at Orlando International Airport by offering up their biometric information for a program guaranteeing travelers an exclusive security line, and the promise of no random secondary pat-downs, in exchange for a background check by the Department of Homeland Security.

June 21, 2005 - Volusia weighs sales tax over gas levy. At a time of rapidly rising prices at the pump, Volusia County is exploring whether to drop its 5-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline in exchange for a new, more lucrative half-cent sales-tax for transportation, officials confirmed Monday. The idea is in its infancy, but the county has been putting out feelers to cities to gauge their interest in the proposal.

June 21, 2005 - Governor approves U.S. 98 agency. With a sweep of his pen Monday, Gov. Jeb Bush breathed life into an organization whose main task will be to plan improvements on U.S. Highway 98 between Escambia and Wakulla counties. “That’s great news,” Santa Rosa County Commissioner Gordon Goodin said when heard that the bill creating the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority had been signed.

June 20, 2005 - HOV lane close to its last hour?. The on-again, off-again, on-again expansion of High Occupancy Vehicle hours on Interstate 95 is off again. And here's the latest twist: Instead of increasing the restrictions on most drivers, South Florida could become one of the first places in the United States to kill the unpopular program completely.

June 17, 2005 - Evacuation plan: Make 'pike one way -- but not here. If a Category 4 or stronger storm is bearing down on South Florida, motorists can escape north by driving on the southbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike -- but not until they reach Fort Pierce. Florida transportation leaders gathered Thursday at the Turnpike Operations Center near Pompano Beach to talk about ''contra-flow'' -- the act of allowing residents to drive one way on all lanes.

June 17, 2005 - DOT forbids tolls on existing metro highway lanes. Private groups hoping to partner with the state on projects for metro Atlanta highways will not be allowed to charge tolls on existing highway lanes in the area, the state Transportation Board said Thursday. The new policy is in response to public outcry and will force private road builders to re-evaluate proposals to use tolls to fund projects.

June 17, 2005 - DOT makes U-turn on HOV hours. Screeech! Forget everything you've een or heard about the expanded HOV hours on Interstate 95. The hours are not changing -- for now. Two days after Sen. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, complained about the changes, the Florida Department of Transportation threw itself in reverse Thursday and postponed the expanded hours for the high occupancy vehicle lanes. They were to go into effect July 1.

June 16, 2005 - U.S. to install airport puffer machines. Security checks where travelers are patted down will end for many people at 10 more airports by summer's end, the government said Wednesday. Passengers will see "puffer" machines that can detect explosives residue when people walk through. Airport screeners will not have to pat down people to make sure they are not carrying hidden bombs.

June 16, 2005 - Amtrak chief lashes out at `ideologues' trying to cut funding. Amtrak President David Gunn on Wednesday blasted Republican plans to slash funding for the rail system, saying they would create chaos on the Northeast Corridor and were designed by "policy wonks and politicians" with no knowledge of how to run a railroad.

June 15, 2005 - Study shows transportation costing South Florida families more. Debbie Hodge was on the verge of quitting her job at a Pompano Beach housing company because it was costing $110 a week to drive from West Palm Beach in her 1995 Jaguar. Her boss suggested she give Tri-Rail a try, and Hodge has no regrets. She saves nearly $400 a month and met her fiancé, Mike Touchette, on the train. She's using the extra money to fix up her home and plan her wedding.

June 15, 2005 - Oil prices cause paving costs to rise. Warning to motorists this summer: Rough road ahead. From New England - where the punishing winters leave roads rutted, cracked and riddled with potholes in the spring - to the Deep South, repaving projects are being canceled or postponed because of the rising price of oil, which is used to make asphalt as well as diesel for dump trucks, steamrollers and other heavy equipment.

June 15, 2005 - Penny tax hike plan in slow lane. A plan to put a penny transportation sales tax question on the 2006 ballot moved forward Tuesday, despite reservations by county commissioners who fear the list of improvements the tax would pay for isn't detailed enough. Broward County commissioners backed away from allowing the county administrator to hire consultants to persuade voters to support the tax.

June 14, 2005 - Approve sales-tax ballot question. Broward County can't pave its way out of growing traffic congestion. Even if it were practical, there isn't enough land to build more roads to accommodate the increasing number of cars as Broward's eastern cities approve more high-density projects and the county itself nears build-out. What can help would be to create a mass-transit network efficient enough to attract high ridership.

June 14, 2005 - Nassau Commission adopts gas tax increase. The Nassau County Commission voted in favor of a 5-cents-per-gallon gas tax increase Monday night during a sometimes heated meeting with residents. The commission voted 4-1 for the increase, which will be take effect Jan. 1.

June 13, 2005 - Crunch Time Nears on Transportation Legislation. Congress is trying to wrap up a long-overdue transportation bill, and one good omen is that patience on Capitol Hill appears to be running out. "I just want to get it all over with," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said as final negotiations began Thursday.

June 10, 2005 - Bush renews veto threat for highway bill. President Bush renews his threat to use the first veto of his presidency against a highway bill if negotiators don't cut at least $10 billion from a Senate-passed version. Bush and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta made clear this week that they will not accept any six-year highway and transit bill that crosses a $284 billion spending line.

June 9, 2005 - Expressway Authority bill gets governor's signature. The idea of adding toll lanes to relieve traffic congestion on Interstate 75 has moved a major step beyond wishful thinking by public officials. Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday signed legislation that allows the creation of the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority that could issue bonds to build the lanes in Collier and Lee counties.

June 9, 2005 - British official warns of possible gridlock. Unless Britons are charged for the distance they drive, they could eventually face unmanageable traffic jams on major roads, the nation's transport secretary said Thursday. Alistair Darling said Britain needs to implement the world's first satellite-based system to charge motorists for every mile they drive, or its roads will become "slowly but surely gridlocked."

June 9, 2005 - County's latest bailout plan may end Transit financial woes. Miami-Dade Transit's latest financial crisis appears to be drawing to a close. A County Commission committee unanimously ratified a complicated plan Wednesday to let Transit ''borrow'' $118 million in half-cent sales-tax proceeds to cover old, current and future Transit deficits between now and 2011 and to repay the funds, plus $22.4 million in interest, by 2016.

June 9, 2005 - What Could Be Worse Than I-4 Traffic? Nothing!. Of all the clogged and overused highways, freeways and roadways in Florida, there is none more congested or troublesome to drive than Interstate 4. That is what travelers who responded to an online poll taken by a Tallahassee-based group called Floridians for Better Transportation have said in impressive numbers.

June 8, 2005 - County penny tax could face vote in 2006. Broward voters could decide in November 2006 whether they want to pay an additional penny in sales tax for transportation upgrades, such as a commuter train along Interstate 595 and faster express bus lines on major county streets. The tax would be modeled after the half-cent sales tax increase passed by Miami-Dade voters in 2002 to pay for expansions to the Metrorail system and other transportation improvements.

June 8, 2005 - PSL approves bond referendum. Voters, sick of sitting in traffic jams along the city's most traveled roadways, overwhelmingly approved a plan on Tuesday to borrow up to $165 million to expedite construction of the West Virginia Corridor. About 12,200 people voted in Tuesday's special election, but 89.2 percent - or 10,950 - voted in favor of borrowing money to start construction of the proposed six-lane corridor linking U.S. 1 and Interstate 95.

June 8, 2005 - Gas tax talk fuels call for increase. With gasoline prices at the pump close to record highs, new gas taxes are probably the last thing motorists want to think about. But some officials in Flagler County say the time is ripe to consider raising county gas taxes to pay for needed infrastructure improvements.

June 8, 2005 - Alaska lawmaker gets federal highway money . A bridge nearly as long as San Francisco's Golden Gate may one day grace the skyline of Ketchikan, population 8,000, in southern Alaska, thanks to a tenacious lawmaker who is making his state a major beneficiary of federal highway money./p>

June 6, 2005 - AmSouth to pay tolls as part of week of giving. AmSouth says it wants to do more than expected this week, but it found giving isn't always easy. As part of a far-reaching "Do More than Expected" Week starting today, the Alabama bank had planned to pay the tolls from 7 to 8 a.m. Thursday on the Lee Roy Selmon and Veterans expressways and the Sunshine Skyway heading into Pinellas County.

June 5, 2005 - 'SATELLITE TOLL' PLAN TO MAKE DRIVERS PAY BY THE MILE IN UK.... British motorists face paying a new charge for every mile they drive in a revolutionary scheme to be introduced within two years. Drivers will pay according to when and how far they travel throughout the country's road network under proposals being developed by the Government.

June 3, 2005 - Train's future around bend. Motorists stuck daily in I-4 traffic might find out this summer if plans for a commuter train running from southern Volusia County to northern Osceola will become a reality. Commuter rail and other proposals to create mass-transit alternatives to Interstate 4 through greater Orlando have been around for decades, and their prospects have risen, fallen and sometimes crashed over the years.

June 2, 2005 - GROWTH: More facts needed. There is good news and no news for Jacksonville residents interested in traffic improvements on congested roads. A special City Council committee was given a summary of new state growth legislation.

June 2, 2005 - A homegrown leader for Miami airport. José Abreu, Miami-Dade's newly named aviation director, brings formidable talent and experience to the job of managing Miami International Airport. He will need all of that and more to face the tough challenges that await him, including a record of frequent interference on procurement by County Commissioners.

May 31, 2005 - Some see the beginning of the end of the road for oil. Could the petroleum joyride - cheap, abundant oil that has sent the global economy whizzing along with the pedal to the metal and the AC blasting for decades - be coming to an end? Some observers of the oil industry think so.

May 31, 2005 - Miami names FDOT exec to be aviation director. The leader of the Florida Department of Transportation is to take over as director of Miami-Dade County's Aviation Department. Miami-Dade County Manager George M. Burgess said Jose Abreu, FDOT secretary, will take the job Angela Gittens resigned Nov. 5.

May 30, 2005 - Expanded SunPass Use is Stuck in Slow Lane. SunPass electronic toll transponders have become as ubiquitous in South Florida as surgically enhanced chests, fair-weather sports fans and skyrocketing housing prices. More than half of all tolls collected in Miami-Dade County on the turnpike and expressways are paid with SunPass. With that in mind, wouldn't it make perfect sense to let drivers heading to Key Biscayne, South Beach or Bay Harbor Islands use SunPass to get across the Rickenbacker, Venetian or Broad causeways? Of course not. ''Perfect sense'' and ''transportation politics'' rarely are uttered in the same breath around here.

May 30, 2005 - Steering wheel tests for alcohol. A Fort Lauderdale man has created a steering wheel that contains a skin sensor that blocks a vehicle from starting or running if the driver is drunk, an invention he thinks could reduce alcohol-related accidents.

May 20, 2005 - Gov. Bush nixes bill to reduce road rage. The first bill by a local legislator to pass both chambers during the legislative session has met the wrath of the governor's veto pen. Sen. Mike Bennett's "Road Rage Reduction Act" was nixed Thursday by Gov. Jeb Bush. The 2005 Legislature voted to make it illegal for motorists to drive in the left lane on multilane roads unless they are passing or turning left out of the lane.

May 19, 2005 - Pork Rules Highway Bill. Pork Rules Highway Bill Highway robbery. That's what members of Congress have pulled off with the latest version of its massive highway-transportation bill. The $295 billion bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, but only after senators managed to add enough pork to bring the total to $11 billion more than the House version.

May 19, 2005 - Get on track for 2006. Marie Horenburger, a Palm Beach County representative on the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, thinks that the South Florida lawmakers who just cost the area millions in federal mass-transit money just don't understand. She also thinks that the authority didn't do enough to sell the $100 fee on every new car sold in South Florida or the $5 vehicle-registration surcharge.

May 18, 2005 - Tri-Rail to cut midday trains, add late runs. Commuters expecting to ride Tri-Rail in the middle of the day will be left waiting at the station next month. But those looking to board a train in the evening will have reason to smile. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority is revamping the commuter train's schedule June 6 by eliminating midday service and running trains later.

May 18, 2005 - Senate approves huge highway bill. The Republican-controlled Senate brushed aside a presidential veto threat Tuesday and passed a $295 billion highway bill, arguing that massive spending on bigger and better roads was necessary to fight congestion and unsafe roadways. The administration, while pressing Congress to pass a new highway bill, said the Senate version was too expensive in a time of war and debt.

May 18, 2005 - Transportation chief delivers $928 million for hurricane repairs. U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta delivered a $928 million check to the state Tuesday to help repair roads damaged by last year's four hurricanes. About a third of the money will be used to replace an Interstate 10 bridge over Escambia Bay just east of Pensacola.

May 17, 2005 - Pork-Packed Highway Bill Demands Presidential Veto. By adding $11 billion to a highway bill already loaded with unnecessary projects, the Senate scoffs at President Bush's plea to limit transportation spending to $284 billion. If this wasteful legislation makes it to the White House, Bush should veto it. Highway bills in the House and Senate continue to cheat Florida and most Southern states.

May 17, 2005 - Senate ready to defy Bush on highway bill. The Senate stood ready Tuesday to defy a presidential veto threat and approve an enormous highway spending bill that Republicans and Democrats alike said was needed to make the nation's roadways safer and less congested. Senate passage of the six-year, $295 billion bill opens the way for tough negotiations with the House and the White House.

May 13, 2005 - A way out of the jams. The Seminole County Commission raised eyebrows when it announced plans to raise its local gas tax by a penny to pay for some transit needs. Instead of looking askance at Seminole, other counties ought to follow its lead and tap into millions of dollars of unused tax money to pay for local transportation needs.

May 16, 2005 - Growth bill seen as just 'a start'. The real goal of the new growth management bill is not to rehabilitate Florida's overburdened roads and school, but to keep them from getting worse. "This ill stop the drip, drip, drip of quality of life going away in Florida," said Rep. Randy Johnson, R-Celebration, a sponsor of the legislation, which Gov. Jeb Bush is expected to sign into law.

May 13, 2005 - State assumes growth, offers little management. Just because the Legislature put up $1.5 billion for the coming year and pledged to spend $750 million a year for the next 10 years doesn't mean the state did anything to manage growth. In fact, the legislation weakens growth management. It lets builders write a check for roads or schools, then go ahead and build, even if the local community can't build the roads or schools fast enough.

May 13, 2005 - High-Speed Rail Authority Still Exists. Florida's high-speed rail program is alive, if not exactly well. Although the mandate to build a statewide system of bullet trains was pulled out of the constitution by voters last year, the agency charged with building the system is still alive and in hibernation. Legislators never even bothered with a request during their just-ended session to disband the authority.

May 12, 2005 - Growth bill may contain a loophole. While state planning officials on Wednesday praised the Legislature's latest effort to curb Florida's rapid growth, some environmental groups and local officials say the bill may contain a loophole that will allow development to occur even if adequate roads are not in place.

May 11, 2005 - Guest editorial: Paving the way to a veto. Unless the two sides manage to finesse it - and both would dearly love to do so - the coming showdown between the White House and Congress should be fascinating politically and with the added fillip that it's Republican versus Republican.

May 11, 2005 - A call to action. Those cities are synonymous with gridlock. But Orlando? You bet. According to a new study by the Texas Transportation Institute, the Orlando metropolitan area ranked ninth in the nation for the amount of time that motorists spend idling in rush-hour traffic. Blame decades of mismanaged growth, failed efforts to increase sales taxes to pay for transportation improvements, a decision by four Orange County commissioners to kill a light-rail project in 1999, and an anemic bus system that local governments continually refuse to finance properly.

May 10, 2005 - Growth Management Bill Is Flawed Accomplishment. Florida lawmakers made some improvements but missed a historic opportunity to fashion a growth management system that would finally stop development from smothering roads, schools and taxpayers.

May 10, 2005 - Traffic here among worst in U.S.. It's no surprise to Eddy Barrera and millions of others of you stewing in your cars and trucks in traffic day after day: Rush-hour traffic in South Florida ranks sixth worst in the nation, according to a new national study released Monday.

May 10, 2005 - Senate defies White House on highway bill. The Senate moved toward approval of a giant highway bill that exceeds the spending ceiling set by the White House, challenging the administration over what would be President Bush's first veto. Senate leaders on Monday introduced a plan that would boost spending for the six-year highway and mass transit bill by $11 billion over the $284 billion passed by the House in March.

May 9, 2005 - Traffic, frustration here to stay. Interstate 95 is the second-most despised roadway in Florida, according to a poll released this month by Floridians for Better Transportation. The most hated roadway was I-4, which connects the Tampa area to Daytona Beach through Orlando. Floridians for Better Transportation created the online poll to give residents a chance to talk about their most dreaded roadways.

May 09, 2005 - Unfulfilled potential. The Florida Legislature deserves credit for seriously wrestling with big issues such as growth management, Medicaid and ethics reform. House Speaker Allan Bense and Senate President Tom Lee restored a measure of civility and collaboration to lawmaking that has been missing in recent years. Yet their smiles at the end cannot hide the fact that they aimed high and just missed. The growth management legislation is particularly disappointing.

May 9, 2005 - 2005 Urban Mobility Study Released. The Texas Transportation Institute has relased their annual Urban Moblity Study finding that traffic congestion costs Americans $63.1 billion a year. See the Press Release and congestion data for Cape Coral, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Sarasota-Bradenton, and Tampa.

May 7, 2005 - Legislature approves growth bill. A growth management reform bill passed unanimously by both chambers Friday night in the waning minutes of the Legislature's 2005 session. By a vote of 40-0 in the Senate and 114-0 in the House, the bill gained legislators' approval and now heads to Gov. Jeb Bush for his signature to become law.

May 6, 2005 - Growth bill hinges on authority to tax. On the eve of the last day of the legislative session, growth management reform fell on the shoulders of a Republican senator from Bradenton and a Republican representative from Celebration. There is no deal yet to begin solving the problems that growth has wrought in Florida. Sen. Mike Bennett and Rep. Randy Johnson will meet with their conference committee colleagues at 8 a.m. today to try to strike a deal in the waning hours of session.

May 4, 2005 - Governor Approves Loan For Expressway Authority. Gov. Jeb Bush agreed Tuesday to allow the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority to borrow $215 million. The money is to repay $110 million to the Florida Department of Transportation and complete $100 million in repairs to an expansion of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

May 4, 2005 - Transportation. As momentum builds for creating a regional transit system for South Florida, and as the region and the Florida Legislature consider ways to fund the system, one Broward County organization stands out for its hard work and commitment to making expanded mass transit a reality.

May 4, 2005 - Lawmakers Must Seize Historic Opportunity To Better Florida. In the crushing whirl of the Legislature's closing days, lawmakers will be tempted to cut and run on growth management. After all, they could claim victory for passing a budget that increases funding for roads, schools and the services needed to support an ever-growing population. But money alone won't force the discipline needed to manage growth in the long term.

May 4, 2005 - Key lawmaker says sprawl proposal hits snag. Legislation to provide roads, schools and water for the state's fast-growing population has hit a snag, a key lawmaker said Tuesday. "It's a train wreck," Rep. Randy Johnson said, warning that changes adopted in the Senate could be "disastrous" for what is one of the year's top-billed issues.

May 3, 2005 - 'Is it even a business we want to be in?'. The board of the Jacksonville Port Authority was just settling in to a discussion of the future of the cruise ship industry in Jacksonville when a more basic question came up. "Is it going to make any money, or is it going to cost more than it's worth?" board member Thomas Jones wondered during the meeting last week. "Is it even a business we want to be in?"

May 3, 2005 - Editorial: Florida Legislature. Whether growth management means actually easing growth's harsh impacts or finding ways to squeeze in even more remains unclear as lawmakers begin their final few, hectic days of the 2005 session. The state aims to catch up on roads, water and more. But where will the money come from?

May 3, 2005 - Let voters have say on growth. After decades of runaway growth in Florida, the Legislature is finally on the verge of giving local governments the power they need to keep up with the demand for more roads, schools and water.

May 2, 2005 - Seminole may raise gas tax despite price at the pump. Even as prices hover near record levels, one local government is leaning toward doing the unthinkable -- raising its gas tax. Seminole County officials are pushing to raise the local-option gas tax by a penny to 8 cents a gallon. If passed, Seminole's gas tax would be 2 cents higher than that of neighboring Orange County.

May 2, 2005 - Florida growth policy inching closer. With about 1,000 people moving to the state daily, Floridians are often faced with clogged roads and overflowing schools. Lawmakers chose this year to try to ease the shortage of essential services like highways, classrooms and water supplies. But with both chambers still inching closer on differing proposals, it’s unclear whether they will agree by the end of the legislative session Friday.

April 29, 2005 - Bennett's bill sparks war of words. Sen. Mike Bennett's growth management plan has put him the middle of a war of words between Senate President Tom Lee and Gov. Jeb Bush, but the Bradenton Republican said it's all a misunderstanding. Lee said Wednesday that Bush has "no role" now in the legislative process and that the governor was "plagiarizing" Bennett's growth management plan.

April 28, 2005 - 100 Million Floridians Predicted by 2050. If the state's population growth stays at the same pace as in the past 170 years, Florida will house 100 million people by 2050, a University of Florida researcher has projected.

April 27, 2005 - Bush threatens veto on highway bill. The Bush administration issued a veto threat again Tuesday against a popular highway bill, saying the president would be likely to reject any legislation that exceeds a White House-set spending ceiling or adds to the deficit.

April 26, 2005 - Governor's Growth Bill May Spur Special Session. Gov. Jeb Bush may call a special legislative session to forge a growth management bill if the House and Senate can't reach a deal within the next two weeks. ``It's being kicked around,'' Secretary of Community Affairs Thaddeus Cohen said Monday. ``I think we can get [a bill] done before that is necessary.''

April 26, 2005 - Senate turns to long-delayed highway bill. The summer construction season is near, so now is the time to resolve differences over highway spending, lawmakers said Monday as the Senate turned to a long-stalled measure. "We really need to keep this moving," Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe, R-Okla., said of the six-year, $284 billion bill to fund highway, mass transit and safety programs.

April 25, 2005 - Construction On Expressway Shaping Up. More than a year after the first Lee Roy Selmon Expressway support pier sank, it is nearly back in form. Construction workers began lifting and loading bridge segments atop the pier Sunday morning, with work slated to be complete this morning. The work is part of an elevated roadway project designed to improve traffic flow.

April 25, 2005 - Lawmakers try to confine sprawl. From the rostrum of the Florida Senate, new President Tom Lee made it clear five months ago that his priority would be getting a handle on the state's runaway growth. "The more we grow, the further we're getting behind," the randon Republican told senators in his inaugural address.

April 22, 2005 - House and Senate reach deal on tax cuts, spending for growth. Floridians would get more than $200 million in tax cuts and $1.5 billion to pay for roads and schools and other community needs to support the state's growing population under a deal House and Senate leaders announced Thursday. The agreement clears the way for committees from both chambers to begin deciding the details of the budget.

April 21, 2005 - U.S. Census Bureau says state will become third largest by 2011. The Sunshine State long has been much more than just a holiday destination - people often end up staying for good. But according to new nationwide population projections, the love of sand, sun and Mickey Mouse is perhaps even bigger than some realized. Just consider the growth in numbers. Florida will absorb another 12.7 million new residents by 2030, more than any other state in the union.

April 20, 2005 - Panel to seek more money for highway bill. The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and his Democratic counterpart said Tuesday that they are dissatisfied with the spending level of a White House-backed highway bill and will try to boost funding when the bill reaches the Senate floor.

April 20, 2005 - Bush growth plan faces tax battle. Gov. Jeb Bush's big plan to rein in the state's out-of-control growth could hinge on whether Central Florida's leaders have the political will to impose nearly $1 billion in new local taxes.

April 19, 2005 - Fight Brewing Over Growth Bill. The chairman of the House Growth Management Committee dug in his heels Monday in opposition to new taxes for infrastructure, setting up a potential showdown over the high-profile, high-dollar issue with the Senate and Gov. Jeb Bush.

April 19, 2005 - Growth plans rushing through. Gov. Jeb Bush's proposals to link new growth to the availability of schools, roads and water supplies were moving quickly through the House and Senate on Monday, less than a week after they were introduced. Bush last week proposed spending $9.5 billion in the next decade on growth. He wants to require that roads, schools and water be available to serve new development.

April 15, 2005 - Windfall Presents Pleasant Dilemma. It was even better than discovering some spare change in the couch cushions. For state budget writers, last week's windfall was more like finding a $100 bill in that old jacket pocket. This week, lawmakers will begin negotiating how to spend an extra $2.2 billion that is pouring into state coffers.

April 15, 2005 - Getting bigger by the moment. Florida's powerful growth engine kicked into overdrive last year as the state's population increased an average of nearly 1,100 people per day. Its population is nearing 17.4 million, up almost 400,000 people from 2003 to 2004, according to federal census estimates released Thursday. That's the equivalent of adding more people than live in the city of Tampa.

April 14, 2005 - Florida's windfall. Florida, which taxes and spends at one of the lowest rates in the nation, has just been handed $2.2-billion to disburse any way it wants. But lawmakers, having become so accustomed to shortchanging schools and roads and nursing homes, seem entirely too eager to leave bad enough alone.

April 14, 2005 - Voters might decide funding. Florida voters would be able to speak with their ballots on the issue of paying for growth management with a 10-year bond program offered Wednesday by Gov. Jeb Bush. A November referendum on the $9.5 billion program, which includes $1 billion in additional cash from this year's increased tax windfall, is Bush's proposal to fund growth at the state level.

April 13, 2005 - Let growth, tourists pay for better roads -- survey. Most Central Floridians agree that the area's roads need to be made safer, but few have much enthusiasm for paying the tab, according to a new survey being presented today. Instead, they think tourists and new homeowners should pay for the road improvements through higher rental car taxes or impact fees, according to the survey conducted for MetroPlan Orlando, the transportation planning agency for Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

April 12, 2005 - Broward airport delays top nation. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was so overwhelmed by the number of planes flying in and out this winter that it had almost as many delays unrelated to the weather as the nation's two busiest airports combined -- Chicago's O'Hare and Atlanta's Hartsfield.

April 12, 2005 - Analysts boost tax collection forecast by $2 billion. Florida's booming housing market will help boost the state's revenues by an unprecedented $2 billion over the next 15 months, economists said Monday. "It's unreal," House Speaker Allan Bense said after getting the news.

April 11, 2005 - Time for leadership. Schools packed to the rafters, traffic that barely moves, public services that can't keep up, destruction of the environment and a desperate search for money to meet the needs. That's the price Floridians are paying for unregulated growth that benefits only developers. And that's why we're behind Gov. Jeb Bush's plan to toughen current lax growth-management laws.

April 8, 2005 - Stick To Your Growth Guns, Gov. Bush. Gov. Jeb Bush should not let up on efforts to pass meaningful growth management laws this session. Nothing is more important than his laserlike leadership on the core challenge facing every community in the state. The word in Tallahassee is that legislators don't want to deal with his ``pay as you go'' plan that would force local governments to address the costs of unrestricted growth.

April 8, 2005 - Lee's honest effort. Floridians say they want politicians to be honest. Well, Senate President Tom Lee provided a welcome dose of honesty this week by asserting that it is "intellectually dishonest" to maintain a cut- taxes-first agenda when so many vital services and infrastructure needs are woefully underfunded.

April 7, 2005 - The transportation boondoggle bill. Question: How is a museum like a highway? Answer: Both get lots of money in the “highway bill” that Congress is currently debating. And not just one museum, either. The massive $284 billion spending bill includes $3 million for the National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio, where the Packard automobile was first produced. There’s also $1.5 million for the Henry Ford Museum.

April 7, 2005 - Drivers Just Spinning Wheels. No matter where people live within Four Corners, chances are they consider themselves to be among the unlucky ones with the worst commute imaginable. Floridians for Better Transportation (FBT) has launched a statewide contest, a new online survey that allows citizens to vote for the state's "Most Congested Road."

April 8, 2005 - Driven to great ideas in the car. Think of all the rush-hour drivers sardined in their cars on the nation's roads. Now think about those cars as incubators for millions of ideas. Don't laugh. A recent survey found that more than 20 percent of Americans do their most creative thinking in the car. Don't believe it? Neither did researchers -- at first.

April 5, 2005 - Bush finally wakes up and sees the growth problems. Gov. Jeb Bush got straight to the point last week. "There is no growth management in this state," he said. "You can exempt your way out." He's absolutely correct, but it's not exactly the message you would expect Bush -- a developer by trade -- to be spreading, but that's what he told reporters in Tallahassee as he launched a drive to toughen our growth management laws.

April 4, 2005 - Quality of airline service declining. AirTran, Atlantic Southeast, JetBlue and United improved their service last year, but were the only airlines to do so among the 14 major carriers rated in 2003 and 2004, according to private researchers who relied on government measures.

April 4, 2005 - Advocacy group lobbies for more money to fix Manatee roads. It's a common rush-hour sight on many of Manatee County's major roads: slow-moving traffic, seemingly endless lines of red brake lights, angry drivers muttering under their breath and pounding the dashboard - sometimes the horn, too. A transportation advocacy group is hoping to harness that frustration, both in Manatee and throughout Florida.

March 28, 2005 - Fuel costs, 'foolish' steps put Delta in jeopardy. Soaring aviation fuel prices have pushed Delta Air Lines further into a financial tailspin that some analysts say already was deepened by "foolish" strategic moves. As a result, they say, what takes off has to land -- somewhere, even if it's in bankruptcy court. That fate is the problem yet again facing Delta, Orlando International Airport's largest passenger carrier.

March 28, 2005 - Poll: State should spend more to clear clogged roads. Three-fourths of Floridians believe the state should spend more to address choking traffic congestion, a sentiment transportation companies hope to drive home to state lawmakers.

March 28, 2005 - Activists create site for angry motorists. The region has many congested roads, but which is the worst? Is it Palm Coast Parkway in Flagler County or Saxon Boulevard in Orange City/Deltona? Maybe it's Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach, U.S. 17-92 in DeLand or State Road A1A along the coast. To bring public voices alive, Floridians For Better Transportation has created an online survey. Motorists can go to www.GetFloridaMoving.org to make nominations for the worst road, tell their horror stories and post pictures of daily traffic congestion.

March 27, 2005 - We get what we pay for. Everybody likes popularity contests, so here's a chance to vote for your favorite congested road. Or rather, your least-favorite congested road. Whichever. In any case, a group called Floridians for Better Transportation wants drivers who are tired of sitting in traffic to log into their interactive website, GetFloridaMoving.org, and sound off about the roads they love to hate.

March 26, 2005 - Survey aims to tell lawmakers about worst roads. Gridlock has put a stranglehold on highways and thoroughfares throughout Florida, and now motorists will have a chance to pick the absolute worst. Participants in the "Most Congested Road" survey, sponsored by a business and transportation advocacy group, might have the satisfaction of knowing they had a small part in making roads a little bit safer.

March 24, 2005 - Limited funds force priorities on SW Fla. roads. Unquestionably, a majority of the public wants more capacity added to our highway system. Unfortunately, transportation needs in Florida far outdistance available funds.

March 23, 2005 - Florida House sends I-75 toll road measure to Senate. Florida House members Wednesday sent the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority measure to the Senate, despite the objections of a Lee County delegate who called for more voter control.

March 21, 2005 - United States Of Disrepair. The United States is falling apart. So says the American Society of Civil Engineers, which issued a failing grade for the country's infrastructure. Our roads, dams, rail, bridges and even drinking water are in bad shape, according to a new report, and the public will end up paying a huge bill for repairs.

March 21, 2005 - State Must Begin Paying Overdue Growth Bills. As the state Legislature considers an overhaul of its growth management policies this session, lawmakers should adhere to one simple principle: Pay for growth.

March 21, 2005 - Citrus gets no slice of road funds. When U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite announced her district would get $20 million in federal transportation funds next year, it wasn't good news for Citrus County. In Brown-Waite's 5th Congressional District, Citrus was one of two counties that received no federal highway money in the House transportation bill.

March 16, 2005 - Toll idea advances despite opposition. The state is moving forward with controversial plans to build toll lanes down the center of Interstate 4 as a way to ease the bumper-to-bumper traffic that plagues Central Florida's most-hated road. Work on the toll roads, derided by critics as "Lexus lanes," could begin in four years and be done by 2013.

March 16, 2005 - Legislature: Expressway bill on its way to House floor. A proposal to establish the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority is speeding toward a vote on the House floor after passing its final committee hurdle in the House on Tuesday.

March 16, 2005 - 'Great state of wait': Florida. Florida's transportation system "drives" our state's economy. Virtually everything we eat, drink, wear or buy is provided through transportation. Today the lack of funding for new, better roads is threatening that system and, with it, our very way of life.

March 15, 2005 - District 7 DOT Secretary Hartmann Retiring. Kenneth Hartmann, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation's 7th district, announced Monday he is retiring effective June 30.

March 15, 2005 - Big Dig Consultant: Tunnels May Be Unsafe. The independent engineering specialist who led an investigation into leaks at the $14.6 billion Big Dig project says he can no longer vouch for the safety of its tunnels.

March 15, 2005 - Group pushes for traffic-relief tax. Three-fourths of Floridians believe the state should spend more to address choking traffic congestion, a sentiment that businesses hope to drive home to state lawmakers. Floridians for Better Transportation, a group of transport and development companies, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Publix Super Markets and SunTrust Banks Inc., released a poll Monday to kick off a campaign they hope will convince lawmakers to support higher taxes.

March 15, 2005 - New poll shows Floridians' frustrations over traffic, roads is growing. Three-fourths of Florida voters believe elected leaders should put more money into transportation, according to a Mason-Dixon survey commissioned by Floridians for Better Transportation (FBT), a statewide transportation advocacy organization.

March 15, 2005 - Group Organizes Push For Better Highways. A statewide group dedicated to easing gridlock is using a poll it commissioned to spur Florida lawmakers to set aside more money to unclog the state's busiest roads. Floridians for Better Transportation released the poll Monday and kicked off a Web-based campaign to press lawmakers to provide more money for transportation.

March 11, 2005 - House passes highway spending measure. The House approved a mammoth highway and transit bill Thursday that aims to reduce traffic congestion nationwide and bring jobs to every lawmaker's home district. The White House said the bill was "long overdue" but warned, as the measure moved to the Senate, that it would be subject to a presidential veto if it rose above the $284 billion the House approved.

March 9, 2005 - Fla. senator seeks road rage crackdown. Sen. Mike Bennett has a word of warning for Florida’s road hogs -- get out of the passing lane, or give up your drivers license. The Bradenton Republican is sponsoring legislation he’s dubbed the Road Rage Reduction Act, which he said was spurred by mounting evidence of traffic deaths caused by overly aggressive driving.

March 9, 2005 - Report: Nation's infrastructure crumbling. Crowded schools, traffic-choked roads and transit cutbacks are eroding the quality of American life, according to an analysis by civil engineers that gave the nation's infrastructure an overall grade of D.

March 8, 2005 - Cowards in control of the capital. You just can't trust Tallahassee. That was the clear message last week from Marion County commissioners responding to a proposal by Gov. Jeb Bush and his Republican cohorts in the Legislature to give county governments greater power and flexibility to raise local sales and gas taxes.

March 7, 2005 - A deadly negligence. If you believe the television commercials, the natural habitat of the American automobile is an open country road. Think about it. Madison Avenue doesn't move cars by sticking the latest models in traffic jams. What they sell is the romance of the open road.

March 7, 2005 - Lawmakers focus on roads, growth. Southwest Florida lawmakers have one mantra in setting expectations for this year's legislative session: more money for roads and more rules for growth.

March 4, 2005 - Fess up, drivers. We've all seen them -- those darn taillights that blink off and on as we nudge through rush hour or sit idling at traffic signals. If you feel like traffic congestion is growing and you're spending more time stuck in traffic, you're right. The average motorist spends 46 hours each year (nearly two full days) stuck in rush-hour traffic jams.

March 4, 2005 - Florida 2nd-worst in U.S. for deaths on rural roads. If you're headed upstate for spring baseball training, a trip to the theme parks or a leisurely visit to anywhere outside of South Florida, you might want to stay on the interstate highways. Florida had one of the worst rural road fatality rates in the nation in 2003.

March 3, 2005 - House panel approves $284 billion highway bill. A House committee on Wednesday cleared the road for action on a six-year, $284 billion highway and mass transit bill, a major jobs and infrastructure initiative that stalled last year over a money dispute between the White House and Congress. This year, with the White House on board and the threat of a presidential veto removed, chances for passage are improved.

March 2, 2005 - Study shows rural roads are most deadly. The death rate for motorists on rural roads was more than 2½ times the rate for driving on all other roads in 2003, a study to be released Thursday shows.

March 1, 2005 - Gridlock looms on the horizon. In 25 years, the region is expected to be a major metropolitan area with more than a million people. That kind of growth is certain to lead to one thing: gridlock. On Monday, frustrated politicians began grappling with the fact that there's simply not enough tax money or time to build all the roads and bridges needed to handle the increased population and the traffic that comes with it.

March 1, 2005 - Roads priority in Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa County residents at a long-term recovery meeting Monday night said improving transportation was their No. 1 priority over such items as providing affordable housing and making the area more disaster resistant. Nearly four out of 10 people who responded to the question of what should be the county's top priority for long-term recovery from Hurricane Ivan said roads need to be improved.

February 28, 2005 - The new view on I-275: a vast bay of bumpers. The electronic sign flashes its ominous warning, "Congestion Ahead," and it seems premature. After all, you've just crossed the Howard Frankland Bridge hump en route from St. Petersburg to Tampa, and you should have miles before you hit really heavy traffic. You wish.

February 25, 2005 - Magazine focuses on transportation. A new monthly magazine, Florida Transportation Monthly, will be distributed in April. Publisher David Fierro of Clermont said the free magazine will focus on highway, transit, bridge, transport, aviation and seaport industries. Fiero is a former public information director for the state Department of Transportation.

February 24, 2005 - Open up the main road. The success of the rapid wreck-removal program on Florida's Turnpike raises the question of why the initiative hasn't migrated to the more heavily traveled Interstate 95. Estimates are that backups cost about $1 million in time and productivity lost per hour when crashes shut down major highways. So not investing in more quick-clearance incentives would be penny-wise and road-foolish..

February 23, 2005 - Lawmakers consider Interstate 75 tolls again. Florida lawmakers are being asked again to give Lee and Collier counties the authority to add lanes to Interstate 75 by imposing tolls on drivers. "Some of you may be experiencing deja vu," Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples, told the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday.

February 22, 2005 - Brent Batten: I-75 needs more tolls than bells and whistles. Don Young, an influential member of Congress, says technology may be able to manage highway traffic in much the same way it manages rail and airline traffic. I think I can speak for everyone who has sat in Atlanta waiting for a plane to Fort Myers because a flight from New York was delayed due to bad weather in Chicago when I say, NOOOOOO!!! Technology certainly has its place in the highway system of the future, but it is no substitute for lanes.

February 21, 2005 - 'Transit village' to rise in Hollywood. A developer has entered a 99-year lease for 18 acres to develop a "transit village" along Tri-Rail tracks in Hollywood. The area is to feature market-rate housing, retail stores, office buildings and a charter school.

February 21, 2005 - Viaduct to ease cargo traffic. A typical midday trek along Northwest 25th Street from Doral to the westside ''cargo city'' at Miami International Airport is a tooth- and gear-grinding nightmare. More than 48,200 vehicles a day use 25th Street -- an estimated 20 percent of them trucks and tractor-trailers, compared with 3 percent to 5 percent on typical state or local commercial roads. Thanks to some creative financing and legislative maneuvering, the Florida DOT is preparing to spend upward of $100 million to construct an exclusive skybridge for the trucks that will provide a huge boost for area cargo haulers.

February 21, 2005 - Mack joins leader at FGCU for I-75 brainstorming. Southwest Florida must look beyond traditional lane expansions to solve future traffic problems on Interstate 75, the chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said at a town hall meeting at Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday.

February 18, 2005 - Limousine chauffeur laments driving time on Interstate 75. On Wednesday, Carey Limousine chauffeur Bruce Fisher closed the door of a black Lincoln Town Car for his passenger, Gus Napoli, at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples at 3:37 p.m., and opened it for him at Terminal A of Southwest Florida International Airport at 4:37 p.m. Fisher, 56, drives to and from the airport frequently, but he never knows how long the 30-mile trek will take.

February 17, 2005 - Donor-State Lawmakers Receive Assurances On Funding. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Young has reached a deal with Majority Leader DeLay and others on crucial transportation funding details regarding how highway dollars are distributed to states.

February 16, 2005 - Group adjusts roads to meet area's explosive growth. It's hard to believe that only a short time ago, no plans were in place to add lanes to the U.S. 41 corridor through portions of Lee and Collier counties. Today, the six-laning of all segments of U.S. 41 is either complete, or scheduled to be under way. Similarly, five years ago, no capacity improvements were scheduled for Interstate 75 in the Florida Department of Transportation's 20-year work program.

February 15, 2005 - Connector road pushed as I-4 alternative. The traffic and congestion is bad enough on Interstate 4 without cars barreling down toll lanes and a train chugging along the median, a Central Florida congressman said Monday. The money promised for toll lanes should be steered toward a controversial east-west road, U.S Rep. John Mica said.

February 15, 2005 - Traffic slowdowns will be common in near future. The latest craze for motorists stuck in traffic is to read all of the stickers on the rear of the vehicle in front of them. People cannot very well pull out a novel while driving, so the stickers provide a good distraction from the anger of being delayed by people who never seem to be in a hurry. As bad as traffic is during winter season, it is just a taste of how crowded the roads will be out of season in just three to five years.

February 15, 2005 - Dyer, Crotty give new life to light rail. Orange County and Orlando leaders have launched a new bid for a light-rail system that would link Orlando International Airport, International Drive and the city's downtown -- resurrecting the controversial $1.3 billion project the county killed six years ago. County Mayor Rich Crotty and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer have asked Congress to find money for a local light-rail train.

February 14, 2005 - Airport screener misses butcher knife. A security screener at Newark Liberty International Airport failed to spot a butcher knife in a passenger's pocketbook and was removed from the post for retraining, officials said. Katrina Bell, 27, had cleared security and was waiting with her sister to board a flight on Saturday morning when she discovered she was carrying a knife.

February 11, 2005 - Senate leader: Tax cuts must wait. Crumbling roads, crowded schools and chronic deficits should take precedent over another round of tax cuts, Senate President Tom Lee said Thursday.

February 10, 2005 - House Tries Again to Pass Highway Budget. Determined to end a two-year impasse that has slowed highway building and safety programs, leaders of the House transportation committee on Wednesday put forth a six-year, $284 billion plan for roads and public transit systems. The House bill this year has the advantage of being in sync with the White House, which last year threatened to veto congressional bills it said were too costly in an age requiring fiscal discipline.

February 10, 2005 - Road congestion top citizen concerns. Protecting the Wiggins Pass eagle and fights over what will be developed in northwest Naples have been hot topics this year. However, they were overshadowed Wednesday by a bigger problem: During a town hall meeting that evening, many of the more than 200 people that filled a meeting room at St. John's Catholic Church said their biggest concern was area roadways.

February 9, 2005 - Airlines object to plan to increase ticket fees. The Bush administration's plan to increase funding for the Homeland Security Department means passengers would pay up to $6 more for a round-trip airline ticket--fees, the nation's airlines argued, that would inflict more pain on an already ailing industry.

February 8, 2005 - Budget hits transportation segments hard. The president's fiscal 2006 budget hits transportation and transportation-intensive localities particularly hard, with airline passengers facing an increase in ticket fees and rail passengers facing the end of Amtrak.

February 8, 2005 - Bush budget would raise fares. The Bush administration plan to increase funding for the Homeland Security Department means that passengers would pay up to $16 more for a round-trip airline ticket - fees, the nation’s airlines argued, that would inflict more pain on an already ailing industry.

February 8, 2005 - Motorists find Interstate 95 not for faint of heart. Her heart beats faster. Her hands become sweaty. Julie Potter can feel the adrenaline pumping whenever she drives on Interstate 95, the lifeline between her homes in Dania Beach and Cape Cod, Mass., and the many craft shows she attends in South Florida. "I do a little victory dance when I get home," said Potter, 44.

February 7, 2005 - FDOT District 1 Chief Proves He Can Get the Big Job Done. Florida Transportation Secretary Jose Abreu had just given a speech in Miami in 2003 when a friend and former coworker, Stan Cann, approached him. Cann, a private consultant at the time, threw his arm over the shoulder of his longtime buddy, looked him in the eye, and said, "If you ever need me, give a call." Abreu remembered the conversation a year later before he offered Cann the job as District 1 transportation secretary. "I didn't think I would need his help that quick," Abreu said.

February 7, 2005 - Gas Could Be Costly for Summer Motorists. Gasoline prices rose more than 7 percent in January, which typically is one of the slowest driving months of the year. That's leading experts to predict pump prices may surge past last year's record highs when highway travel picks up late in the spring.

February 3, 2005 - Growth spurs new turnpike interchanges. New partial interchanges on Florida's Turnpike at Yamato and Palmetto Park roads would reduce future traffic by more than 35 percent at the congested Glades Road interchange, a new study shows.

February 2, 2005 - Hybrid Cars Could Mean an Easier Commute. If helping the environment isn't a good enough reason to buy a hybrid car, lawmakers are contemplating a powerful appeal to drivers' self-interest: an easier commute. Legislation by lawmakers from California would let states make their own rules for hybrids in car pool lanes.

February 1, 2005 - Pier Tests Didn't Meet Expressway Contract. If the company that designed foundations for elevated lanes of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway had dug deeper - as required by contract - it might have prevented costly repairs and months of delay, state officials say.

February 1, 2005 - Mack: I-75 expansion to dominate meeting. An invitation from freshman Rep. Connie Mack IV is bringing a transportation high roller from Washington to Southwest Florida to hear the concerns of local residents. Mack asked Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, head of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to come hear those concerns, and Young said yes.

January 31, 2005 - How to rethink road spending. The sheer size of the number is impressive: $61.6 billion. Yet even if roughly $1 out of every $10 proposed in Gov. Jeb Bush's budget -- $6.8 billion, to be exact -- is earmarked for transportation, it hardly seems enough. Some 900 newcomers arrive in Florida each and every day. Rush-hour commutes are a parking lot of frustration. Errands down the street are a chore.

January 28, 2005 - Leadership needed. Look around. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the decades-old effort to manage growth in the state has fallen far short of the mark. Central Florida is a perfect case in point. Strip malls are prolific. Traffic jams are the frustrating norm. Public schools are packed to the gills.

January 27, 2005 - As development push continues, poll confirms worsening traffic. A majority of Miami-Dade suburbanites say they are spending more time in traffic than they were a year ago and that it is damaging their quality of life, according to a poll commissioned by the Urban Environment League of Greater Miami.

January 26, 2005 - Sebesta: Future of high-speed depends on federal funds. A key lawmaker said Tuesday that the future of Florida's high-speed rail dreams depends on federal funding.

January 25, 2005 - Crosstown firm staying on job. In something of an about-face Monday, the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority asked the company it blames for last year's partial collapse of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway to stay on and finish the job.

January 25, 2005 - Legislature should invest in future. Florida House Speaker Allan Bense and Senate President Tom Lee say they share at least one goal for the upcoming session of the Legislature: To avoid fractious feuding between the two chambers that marred the last two sessions. That's heartening.

January 24, 2005 - SunPass moving toward paper-thin tags for use on Turnpike. Paper-thin tags eventually will be offered as a cheaper alternative to the larger, wallet-size transponders currently being used by toll-paying motorists on Florida's Turnpike. By the end of 2006, consumers will be able to activate their accounts right from an ATM-style machine where they buy the tag - with no forms to fill out or phone numbers to call.

January 21, 2005 - Selmon Repairs' Extent Disputed. As many as 56 pilings or as few as eight along the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway need extensive, costly repairs, depending on whom you believe.

January 20, 2005 - House, Senate Leaders Split on Rail Authority. Gov. Jeb Bush's push to kill the High Speed Rail Authority appears to have support from House Speaker Allan Bense, but Senate President Tom Lee said he's not ready to dismantle the authority.

January 18, 2005 - A Plane as Big as the Globe. To build the world's biggest passenger plane, Airbus first constructed the world's largest wing and fuselage factories. It set up a paint shop big enough to house a football stadium, bought the world's biggest automated riveting machine and commissioned a 505-foot-long transport ship. On Tuesday at Airbus headquarters here, the public will get its first look at what many consider an engineering marvel: the A380, the heaviest and costliest commercial passenger aircraft ever built.

January 17, 2005 - Airlines' business plan won't fly. The human ability to fly and, more important, land safely - celebrated its 100th birthday just over a year ago. You'd think someone could have figured out how to make money at it by now. In 2003, the latest year for which we have figures, the airline industry suffered net operating losses of $3.6 billion.

January 17, 2005 - Expressway authority paying 57% of area's road-building costs in next 5 years. The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority is in the midst of its largest five-year work plan ever. In fact, the authority's $1.22 billion plan is the most being invested in Orlando and Orange County roads by any government or road-building agency over the next five years. The authority's funding accounts for 57 percent of all road construction dollars through 2009.

January 14, 2005 - DOT Approves Study For 7-County Beltway. The state Department of Transportation is considering creating a major north-south beltway to alleviate traffic on Interstate 75 and connect several counties in the Tampa Bay area. In the largest study approved since the 1997 Tampa Interstate Study, which outlined improvements for interstates 75 and 275 in downtown Tampa, the DOT will develop alternative routes through seven counties.

January 13, 2005 - Officials: Work to rebuild damaged bridge could start in spring. Work to build a new Interstate 10 bridge in the western Florida Panhandle to replace the one damaged by Hurricane Ivan is expected to begin this spring, federal and state officials said. Construction on the bridge connecting Escambia and Santa Rosa counties is set to begin after the contract for the $325 million project is accepted on April 1, officials said Wednesday.

January 12, 2005 - Congress Urged to Act on Highway Bill. States are losing millions of dollars and thousands of jobs because Congress failed to pass a federal highway bill last year, state transportation officials told Congress on Tuesday. They urged lawmakers to make the spending bill one of the first orders of business. "If we don't get a bill by April 1, we lose another construction season," John Njord, head of the Utah DOT.

January 11, 2005 - Officials Await Expressway Test Results. The pounding is over. Now, it's time to crunch test data to determine the magnitude of the work needed to repair the foundations supporting the elevated lanes of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. Officials with the Tampa- Hillsborough County Expressway Authority said it will be at least next week before they know the results of hammer tests on 12 foundations.

January 10, 2005 - Dade urged to rethink its Metrorail priorities. The South Florida congressman with the most clout to direct federal dollars toward transit projects says he believes Miami-Dade County should prioritize the east-west Metrorail corridor and the Earlington Heights extension to the airport. U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, who sits on the House transportation committee, said he feels that higher density and ridership potential make the east-west Metrorail corridor and the Earlington Heights extension to the airport.

January 7, 2005 - Funding, planning in place for I-4 connector. There's nothing like a good rattling of the table to interrupt a romantic meal of paella marinara and a glass of sangria. The rumbling isn't coming from the flamenco dancers of the historic Columbia Restaurant. It's coming from the passing trucks outside. They use the Ybor City street beside the restaurant as a truck route between Interstate 4 and industrial sites to the south. That's why owners at the Columbia were nothing short of giddy about Thursday's announcement from state and local transportation officials: The long-awaited construction of the Crosstown Connector has been funded and planned - promising to take all those noisy, fork-rattling trucks with it.

January 6, 2005 - Simpler Airfares Are on the Horizon. Delta Air Lines Inc. unveiled a stripped-down fare structure that slashed domestic ticket prices by as much as 60% and eliminated the unpopular Saturday night stay-over requirement, moves that benefit travelers but further threaten the troubled airline industry.

January 4, 2005 - Don't Drive Last Spike Yet. The requirement for Florida to build a bullet train linking major cities in the state is no longer in the Constitution, which is a good thing. The cost estimate was put at $25 billion, and Florida could ill afford the expenditure. High-speed rail has proved its worth in other places, including Europe, Japan and the northeastern United States. It could have value in parts of Florida.

January 4, 2005 - U.S. air travel safety improves for third year. Only 34 people have died in U.S. commercial airline crashes in the past three years, making it one of the safest periods in aviation history even as more Americans travel by air.

January 4, 2005 - Destin hears resort tax ideas. Alleviating traffic is at the top of a Destin committee’s list of proposed projects to fund with a possible municipal resort tax. "Without a doubt, that was everybody’s top priority," Jim Bagby, chairman of the panel, told the Destin City Council on Monday night.

January 4, 2005 - TRANSPORTATION: Face reality. The voters have spoken; it's too bad the state High Speed Rail Authority doesn't want to listen. In a landslide election this fall, Floridians repealed a constitutional amendment requiring the state to create a high-speed rail service. The authority, appointed to oversee the project, refuses to disband, however.

January 3, 2005 - Reinventing the Wheel (and the Tire, Too). THE first automobile to use air-filled tires was a racecar built by André and Édouard Michelin in the early 1890's. More than a century later, the French company founded by the Michelin brothers is so identified with pneumatic tires that its mascot, Bibendum, is a man made of little else. Now, after decades spent persuading the world to ride on air, the company has begun work on an innovation that could render the pneumatic tire obsolete.