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Dr. Delay

Road work will continue to vex throughout 2006

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published January 1, 2006

Happy New Year, and here's to delay-free commuting and tooling around town in 2006!

Since we all know that's not possible, here is a rundown of a few things to expect on the roads in 2006:

CLOSURE OF THE TREASURE ISLAND DRAWBRIDGE: The old bridge officially closes to traffic at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Don Hambidge, the city's public works director. (See story and map, Page 1.)

Alternate routes during the six-month closure are the Madeira Beach Causeway north of the Treasure Island Bridge and the Corey Causeway off St. Pete Beach, south of Treasure Island.

FOURTH STREET RESURFACING: Work began in October on milling and resurfacing I-275 from Fourth Street N to the Howard Frankland Bridge. A traffic monitoring station is also being installed on the northbound lanes of I-275, and the project is expected to finish up in spring 2006.

TAMPA AIRPORT INTERCHANGES PROJECT: Motorists who access Tampa International Airport from the northern part of the county need to know that the DOT is working on an interchange improvement plan from State Road 60/Memorial Highway from I-275 to the Courtney Campbell Parkway interchange. The project extends west 1 mile to the Courtney Campbell Parkway (SR 60) and north to the Veterans Expressway. Work on the $202-million project will be completed sometime in 2010.

INTERSTATE 375 IN ST. PETERSBURG FROM I-275 TO FOURTH STREET N: DOT will rehabilitate the concrete travel lanes of Interstate 375 from I-275 to Fourth Street N in the spring, and the 1-mile improvement project will wrap up at the end of 2006.

The main portion of the interstate will require night lane closures, and ramp work will require ramps to be closed at night as needed. After the concrete slab work is finished, all travel lanes will undergo a grinding process to provide an even surface. Then all cracks and joints will be sealed. There will also be milling and resurfacing of the asphalt shoulders. Minor road and drainage improvements with general safety modifications throughout the project limits are also included in this project, according to Kris Carson of the DOT.

END OF SUSPENDED HOLIDAY ROAD CLOSURES: Some of you may have noted that the DOT suspended road closures related to construction projects along the interstate throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to ease heavy traffic during the holidays. Those closures will be back in effect on Tuesday afternoon.

JUST BE NICE: The privilege of a public soapbox is not lost on me, and once in awhile I do try to use this forum to lobby for civility and consideration on the road without sounding like a finger-wagging Grandma. Sometimes I fail.

Anyway, here is a traffic issue that is driving one reader crazy and once again, it really comes down to playing nice and leaving the "me first" sense of entitlement at the curb. Road rules and laws exist to protect everyone. This means we are all supposed to follow them. Yes, my finger is wagging.

A reader wrote in an e-mail last week: "At the bottom of the 22nd Avenue S exit of I-275, "law-abiding' drivers heading west veer off and wait to merge with westbound traffic on 22nd Avenue S; sometimes the exit ramp is backed up, and when that happens, some folks head down the ramp to a stoplight that allows for a left turn only onto 22nd Avenue S heading east; these inconsiderate drivers then turn right and head west. Of course, it screws up the flow, is blatantly violating the left-turn only light and, frankly, ticks me off."

Well said, dear reader. And perhaps it's a shortcut that the St. Petersburg Police Department will be keeping an eye out for in the future.

Until next week, happy and safe motoring!

Please share your traffic concerns, comments and questions with Dr. Delay via e-mail at docdelay@yahoo.com

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:28:15]