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State upgrade to make dicey intersection safer
By MAUREEN BYRNE
© St. Petersburg Times, SEMINOLE -- Don't worry. When construction crews begin working on the intersection of Park and Seminole boulevards, they won't be erecting a monotube. Putting a big, brown pipe across the intersection isn't part of an $875,000 improvement project that will begin July 22. "We pretty much let them know right from the beginning that we were opposed to that," said Mitch Bobowski, the city's general services director. But the city is very much in favor of the changes in store for the intersection, one of Seminole's most dangerous spots for drivers. "The intersection has too much congestion and a significant collision history," said Kris Carson, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation. "The project is designed to decrease the potential for accidents and to improve the overall operation of the intersection." According to the county's Traffic Engineering Department, 131 collisions happened at the intersection from Jan. 1, 1993, through Dec. 31, 1995. Most of them were rear-end collisions, primarily on the southbound and westbound approaches to the intersection. DOT is hoping the improvements will reduce accidents at the intersection, which are often the result of unexpected stops from high-speed and last-minute lane changes. Seminole Boulevard currently is a six-lane divided roadway to the south of Park Boulevard and a five-lane divided roadway to the north. Park is a four-lane divided roadway to the west of Seminole and a six-lane roadway to the east. DOT, which is funding the project, hired APAC-Florida, an Atlanta-based construction company that operates in 14 states. The work is scheduled to last three months. "You can always anticipate weather delays, but it should be a pretty quick project, and the results will be nice," said Carson, the transportation spokesman. When the project is finished, motorists can expect to see additional through and turning lanes as well as longer turning lanes. "This project has been on the books and in development for a number of years, but it really falls into place now with the mayor and council prioritizing traffic safety in the community," said Bobowski, the general services director. At the city's annual retreat in March, City Council members chose traffic safety as one of their goals for the year. The council voted last month to establish a citywide traffic safety program that is operated by the Sheriff's Office, which provides police services to the city. The program, which began July 1, provides one full-time traffic patrol deputy, laser and radar units for existing deputies and a "smart trailer" with a computer that registers traffic speed and volume. What won't be happening any time soon is the widening of Park Boulevard between Seminole Boulevard and 113th Street. The work was scheduled to start in 2002 or 2003, but funding shortages with the county's Penny for Pinellas tax have shelved the project. "That was one that probably got pushed back a little bit," said county planner Al Bartolotta. Bartolotta said the widening project still is in the county's long-range plans, but there is no date scheduled. But the city isn't going to wait for the county. It's going to make its own improvements to that stretch of Park Boulevard -- aesthetic ones, that is. A beautification project that would include sprucing up the medians probably will begin in the fall of 2002, Bobowski said. "That's really a focal part in our town," said Bobowski, the general services director. "And we need to get that roadway improved."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Special: Bumper to Bumper |
