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Letter to the editor

Belcher extension almost finished

Officials say the four-lane roadway needs only some finishing touches.

By JARED LEONE
Published July 22, 2007

The morning commute in north Pinellas County might get a little smoother - and soon.

County officials expect construction of a 2.3-mile, $12.5-million extension of Belcher Road to be finished by the end of August.

The project should be completed according to schedule and within budget, said Peter Yauch, the assistant county administrator.

The new extension, which runs from Alderman to Klosterman roads, is expected to handle 20,000 cars per day.

This could potentially double the amount of traffic on Belcher Road south of the addition at Tampa Road.

The four-lane extension will have two traffic lights, a yellow flashing light at a fire station and a pedestrian signal at Sutherland Elementary.

The addition is expected to ease traffic on U.S. 19, which is the main north-south road through Pinellas County.

More than 77,000 cars travel on U.S. 19 each day near Klosterman Road.

Belcher Road at Tampa Road (the closest comparable intersection on Belcher that has recorded data) currently carries 20,600 daily car trips.

Construction crews will spend the next several weeks working on finishing touches, including asphalt and concrete surfacing, finishing traffic signal installations, installing road signs and striping.

[Last modified July 21, 2007, 23:56:33]