Tarpon Avenue ready early

The road is expected to reopen today at 5 p.m. "It is a wonderful thing,'' one merchant says.

By KATHERINE GAZELLA

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 17, 2001

TARPON SPRINGS -- Tarpon Avenue will re-open at 5 p.m. today, more than a week before a construction project was scheduled to end.

Keystone Excavators is putting the final touches on the road at Tarpon and Safford avenues. The road has been closed to traffic downtown, between Ring and Pinellas avenues, since late last month.

"It is a wonderful thing," said Cindy Comstock, who owns Court of Two Sisters antique store on Tarpon Avenue. "Things never happen ahead of schedule."

The improvements include construction of crosswalks at Tarpon and Safford avenues, sidewalk kickouts to calm traffic at the intersection, ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, storm drain upgrades and work on the brick, concrete and asphalt.

The changes are designed to make the crosswalks more accessible for pedestrians and to slow traffic at the intersection.

Police and city officials say many people speed through, potentially endangering pedestrians and bicyclists who use the Pinellas Trail, which runs down the middle of Safford Avenue.

An official opening with a ribbon cutting is scheduled for Aug. 30.

The project, which cost about $67,000, was completed early, in part, because the weather cooperated, said David Atkins, the project manager from Keystone Excavators. He said Tim McLane, the superintendent of the project, and the rest of the crew worked to finish the road work quickly.

"We just had a super crew in there and had a lot of cooperation" from the city, Florida Power and Clearwater Gas, Atkins said.

- Staff writer Katherine Gazella can be reached at (727) 445-4182.

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