Oldsmar road work to begin year earlier

Work is set to begin next summer at the intersection of Douglas and Race Track roads, known for rush-hour traffic jams.

By ED QUIOCO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 28, 2001

OLDSMAR -- Road improvements will come a year sooner than expected for a clogged intersection in the city's industrial district.

Construction will begin next summer to fix the intersection of Douglas and Race Track roads, which is notorious for rush-hour traffic jams. The improvements will include adding a traffic signal and building left- and right-turn lanes on Douglas Road.

Construction originally was planned to begin during the fiscal year 2003-2004. The project got an earlier date after the state Department of Transportation did some rescheduling, said Brian Smith, executive director of Pinellas County's Metropolitan Planning Organization, the county's transportation planning board.

That's good news for the city.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction," said Kevin Gartland, president and CEO of the Greater Oldsmar Chamber of Commerce.

The city received a federal grant of $473,000 to improve the intersection about two years ago but had to wait until the DOT could schedule the construction. At a meeting earlier this month, the MPO approved the earlier schedule after state officials said the work could be done sooner.

State Department of Transportation District 7 secretary Ken Hartmann "relooked at it and found a way that they could do it a year early," Smith said.

The grant the city received is part of a federal air-quality improvement program. Pinellas County receives about $5-million a year in federal money to pay for projects that will improve the area's air quality by either improving traffic flow or encouraging alternatives to driving.

The city argued that improving the intersection will decrease the amount of pollution coming from vehicles idling at the intersection.

Cars and trucks in the city's growing industrial area use the intersection to get to Hillsborough County. Both roads are two-lane, commercial roads, which make them especially busy during rush hours.

Tampa Bay Downs also is on Race Track Road just north of the intersection, which means the traffic congestion can get even worse during the track's December-to-May horse-racing season. At times, the line of cars waiting to turn from Douglas Road stretches a half-mile, with cars having to inch forward to be able to turn onto Race Track Road.

"At peak hours, the intersection fails," said Oldsmar community development director Nick Staszko. "You can't get out. There is no easy way to head to Tampa."

The road improvements hopefully won't be the last for those two roads, Gartland said. The traffic light and turn lanes will help regulate traffic, but the long-term solution would be to widen Race Track Road so the road can accommodate all of the vehicles, he said.

Inadequate access in and out of Oldsmar's industrial district is a common complaint for businesses in that area, Gartland said.

"It's just a mess," he said. "It's unsafe for everybody right now."

-- Staff writer Ed Quioco can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or at quioco@sptimes.com.

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