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Palm Harbor Intersection Makeover Planned

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: April 25, 2008

PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- By next fall a realignment of Florida Avenue at Alt. 19 should make it safer for people to traverse the busy highway.

At Alt 19, the west side of Florida Avenue lies slightly south of the east side. This occasionally causes motorists turning left off both sides of Florida Avenue to dangerously find themselves facing each other, according to Joe DeMoss, county public works engineer supervisor.

The plan is to realigning the Florida Avenue-Alt. 19 intersection by moving the western side of Florida Avenue to the north, to match the eastern side.

Florida Avenue, from Alt. 19 east to C.R. 1, also known as Omaha Street, is the heart of the Old Palm Harbor Main Street downtown historical district.

The county will seek construction bids in June on what is being called the Palm Harbor Safety and Access Improvement Project. The project is being fast-tracked so as not to lose federal funding the county has acquired for the project.

This means the work for transforming the intersection could begin by late summer, according to DeMoss.

All the work will be done on Florida Avenue west of Alt. 19. Improvements will take place from the intersection at Alt. 19 to Ninth Street. The work will include improving access to the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, which runs parallel to Alt. 19.

The realignment work should take from four to five months to complete, according to DeMoss.

The intersection realignment originally slated to be completed as part of the Florida Avenue Improvement Project, through the downtown area. It was delayed so the county could seek the federal funding.

The county has received a total of $656,232 from the federal government for the intersection realignment. The money is being administered by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Some Penny for Pinellas sales tax revenue likely will have to be used as well, DeMoss said.

Lesley Klein, a spokeswoman for the Old Palm Harbor Main Street redevelopment group, said she is thrilled to hear the realignment will finally take place. Klein, the owner of a downtown business, Oak Trail Books, lobbied for the intersection makeover.

Klein had hoped the project would include improvements to Florida Avenue from Alt. 19 all the way west to H.S. "Pop" Stansell Park, she said. The park is at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Eighth Street, which is west of Ninth Street.

A traffic signal is still needed at the Florida Avenue-Alt. 19 intersection to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the highway, according to Klein. No traffic signal is included as part of this project.

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