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Machines signal a smoother road ahead

Race Track road is getting an overhaul, with wider lanes and room for bikes and buses.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published April 3, 2005

KEYSTONE - The warnings come before you see the trucks and the muck.

Go slow, the orange construction signs demand. Race Track Road is undergoing a multimillion-dollar facelift.

The heavy machinery razing trees and laying lanes blends so easily with the other development occurring along the two-lane road - Highland Park just west of S Mobley Road, townhomes and shopping at the intersection with Countryway Boulevard - that it seems almost natural there.

By the time the project ends about three years from now, it might appear a permanent fixture.

But after a two-year delay, mostly due to property acquisition troubles, the aging rutted corridor that links northwest Hillsborough County to eastern Pinellas County has begun to transform.

When finished, Race Track Road will have wider car lanes, with lanes for bicycles and buses from S Mobley to Countryway, four car lanes from Countryway to Douglas Road and six car lanes from Douglas to Hillsborough Avenue. County officials are negotiating to have the road go to the west of Tampa Bay Downs parking lot, so people do not have to cross Race Track to get to the races.

County spokesman Steve Valdez says the improvements have become increasingly necessary as traffic on Race Track grows more and more congested. Some drivers shoot into Pinellas County on other arteries to avoid Race Track.

"The part that we're working on right now (S Mobley to Countryway) is rated F," Valdez said, adding that new home construction will worsen the situation. "Not only is it rated F, the roadway itself is just deteriorating away. The base of the roadway is just worn out."

Heavy trucks traveling to the new developments have accelerated the road's decline.

The first order of business, already under way, is "demucking" the thoroughfare.

Race Track sits atop a layer of black gooey muck that does not compact, causing shifting in the pavement. Workers are removing the muck and replacing it with reddish dirt and clay that will compact, making the new road more stable.

Crews also have begun removing trees where the new right of way will go.

Traffic disruptions have been few, though, as most of the activity occurs to the side of the road.

The work has not affected business at the Waterchase subdivision, nor have residents complained to the developer, said Lonnie Herman, vice president-sales of Taylor Woodrow Homes.

"People want it widened," Herman said.

Valdez said the county will try to build new lanes and then divert traffic to those before repairing existing lanes. As work moves closer to Hillsborough Avenue, though, that effort will become more complicated.

Some businesses stand in the area where new lanes are slated to go, Valdez noted. And traffic at the race track and flea market could complicate construction.

"It's definitely going to be a challenge," he said.

When it's all over, though, northwest Hillsborough should have the road that residents have clamored for - a road without long backups just because one car wants to turn.

[Last modified April 2, 2005, 10:10:05]