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Work on U.S. 19 enters new phase

By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published March 19, 2007

CLEARWATER - The next signs of progress on a massive project to ease the flow of traffic on U.S. 19 will soon be hoisted into place.

Starting Saturday, the northbound frontage road at U.S. 19 and Sunset Point Road will be closed to traffic from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. for three weekends in a row so workers can install steel girders to support a future overpass.

The main portion of U.S. 19 will remain open at all times.

The construction is part of a $45.9-million project to improve 1.5 miles of U.S. 19 from north of the CSX railroad tracks to north of Sunset Point Road.

Two flyovers are meant to carry vehicles on U.S. 19 nonstop over NE Coachman Road and Sunset Point Road. The project includes:

- The two six-lane bridges.

- Permanent one-way frontage roads paralleling U.S. 19 to provide access to homes and businesses.

- Turn lanes for all directions at NE Coachman Road and Sunset Point Road.

One of the bridges is already complete and open to through traffic, giving drivers some relief from having to wait for signals at NE Coachman and Sunset Point roads.

And motorists can use the help: U.S. 19 carries more than 70,000 cars and trucks a day. Another 18,300-plus vehicles a day use Sunset Point and 14,200 drive on NE Coachman.

But construction - once expected to be done late last year - has run into a variety of complications that have pushed its completion until fall, Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kris Carson said.

Those factors include bad weather and some design issues, Carson said last week. Previously, transportation officials have also said the project's schedule bogged down partly because of strong hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005, a leaking water main and delays in fabrication of steel beams.

But the contractor, Hubbard Construction Co., "can possibly make that time up," Carson said.

Let's hope so, said one resident of the nearby Southern Comfort mobile home park at 24479 U.S. 19 N.

Construction started in April 2003 and has gone on far too long for Jeffrey Burns, 51, who has lived at Southern Comfort for nearly a decade.

"It should have been done two years ago," he said. "They blamed the length of the project on hurricanes and weather. I don't think it has to do with weather. It's just slow production."

While the frontage road is closed for the installation of the girders, residents of the Southern Comfort and Capri mobile home parks will be supplied with maps showing a detour route.

The weekend closures could change depending on the contractor's schedule and the weather.

Eileen Schulte can be reached at schulte@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4153.

Fast Facts:

Coming up: The northbound frontage road at U.S. 19 and Sunset Point Road will be closed starting Saturday from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. for threeweekends in a row. The main portion of U.S. 19 will remain open at all times. Workers will be installing steel girders to support a future overpass.

Background: The construction is part of a $45.9-million project to improve 1.5 miles of U.S. 19 from north of the CSX railroad tracks to north of Sunset Point Road. One six-lane bridge is already complete. Construction began in April 2003 but has been delayed and should be complete in the fall.

[Last modified March 18, 2007, 20:33:47]