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Letter to the editor

Tyrone Blvd. bridge to remain after all

Dr. Delay Navigating South Pinellas

By Lorrie Lykins, Times Correspondent
Published February 24, 2008

So, whatever happened with the Tyrone bridge demolition?

The Doc's hat is off to readers with good memories.

We received a yellowed clipping last week from a reader wondering about a previous Dr. Delay column, circa 1999, that mentioned plans to demolish the bridge on Tyrone Boulevard.

The bridge carries east/west traffic over the old railroad bed northwest of Tyrone Square Mall. The Florida Department of Transportation had announced plans to demolish the bridge "sometime in 2001 or 2002."

We asked Kris Carson of the DOT, and she said that the state had at one time agreed to remove the bridge over the Pinellas Trail and rebuild Tyrone Boulevard if the Metropolitan Planning Organization made it a priority to build a pedestrian bridge to carry the Pinellas Trail over Tyrone Boulevard.

"But the MPO prioritization never happened; thus, the projects never happened. There are no plans or funding to remove the bridge today," Carson said.

PARK STREET

Air circle concerns now

The Park Street traffic circle is still in play, so if you have something more to say, now's the time.The Doc has been sharing the many opinionated round-about-related e-mails with St. Petersburg's traffic engineers, who are still evaluating the circle. With subject lines ranging from "Traffic engineers gone wild!" to "Goofy roundabout," it's difficult not to want to share the fun with the city's transportation department.

Mike Frederick, the city's transportation manager, tells us that unlike the Doc's incoming mail, his office has received positive feedback, which is helpful, because information gathering on the effectiveness of the circle is ongoing.

"We are still in the evaluation period for the circle, looking at design, traffic data and comments from residents, as well as the neighborhood reaction. We have received favorable comments as well. I guess they are just not contacting you directly," Frederick said.

Barricade watch

Here are some spots around the county where you might expect traffic delays this week:

BELLEAIR

Belleair Beach Causeway Replacement Project: possible delays.

CLEARWATER

Buttonwood Lane: curb repair; Oakwood Drive: curb repair; Atlantis Drive Sunset Point Road to Americus Drive: replacement of storm drain and lids; Bayside Bridge: road sweeping Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning; Humane Society at McMullen-Booth Road and State Road 590: driveway repairs; McMullen-Booth Road southbound, south of State Road 590: lane closures, bridge maintenance; North County Service Center (U.S. 19 at sheriff's facility): storm drainage repairs; north of State Road 590 (U.S. 19 to Belcher Road): tree work; Sunset Point Road (Belcher Road to County Road 1): tree work.

DUNEDIN

Belcher Road (Main Street to Curlew Road): lane closures, road beautification.

EAST LAKE

McMullen-Booth Road/East Lake Road (Tampa Road to Keystone Road): road edging; McMullen-Booth Road/East Lake Road (Union Street to Keystone Road): mowing.

LARGO

95th Street N and Alston Drive: storm drainage repairs; Bardmoor subdivision: ditch cleaning; Starkey Road (Ulmerton Road to East Bay Drive): shoulder repair.

LEALMAN

Between 46th Avenue N and 54th Avenue N and between 45th Street N and 52nd Street N: tree trimming; Joe's Creek dredging (stockpile sites at 46th Avenue N, east and west of 71st Street N): trucks entering or leaving the road.

PALM HARBOR

2600 Highlands Blvd. N: sidewalk replacement; County Road 1/Omaha Street at Alderman Road: ditch cleaning; County Road 1/Omaha Street (New York Avenue to Alderman Road): shoulder repairs; Florida Avenue (14th Street to 16th Street) and 14th Street (Florida Avenue to Hawaii Avenue): storm drainage improvements, sidewalk installations and utility construction; Alt. U.S. 19 N and Wai Lani Road: sidewalk installation.

PINELLAS PARK

49th Street N (U.S. 19 to Bayside Bridge): trimming and mowing; Belcher Road bridge, south of Bryan Dairy Road: lane closures and bridge maintenance.

Until next week, happy and safe motoring!

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

[Last modified February 23, 2008, 23:07:18]