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Tarpon in talks with DOT over East Tarpon Avenue

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: December 19, 2008

Updated:

TARPON SPRINGS - Local officials have entered into talks with Florida Department of Transportation staff in hopes of the city being able to assume control over East Tarpon Avenue.

Interim City Manager Mark LeCouris said Tuesday night the city is in early, staff-level discussions with DOT over a proposal under which the city would take over control and maintenance responsibility over its main downtown street.

Having jurisdiction over East Tarpon Avenue, LeCouris said, would let the city make changes along one of its most important commercial corridors, such as hanging advertising banners or planting trees, without having to jump through bureaucratic hoops.

In addition, LeCouris said, the city could make more traffic-calming improvements and install traffic-control devices at the dangerous intersection of Tarpon Avenue and the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, which runs down the center of Safford Avenue.

Furthermore, the city could close East Tarpon Avenue to vehicle traffic during downtown festivals, LeCouris added.

The county has jurisdiction over West Tarpon Avenue, the short brick-paved section of the road west of Pinellas Avenue that comes to a dead end at Spring Boulevard.

Mayor Beverley Billiris is in favor of the city taking control over East Tarpon Avenue. In the past, however, DOT has balked at relinquishing authority over the street because it is viewed as a disaster evacuation route, she noted.

Since the city plans to extend Meres Boulevard from Pinellas Avenue, also known as Alt. 19, to U.S. 19, the city would have an another east-west evacuation route, Billiris said.

The state recently repaved East Tarpon Avenue and made other improvements to it. The city has state grant funds to install old-fashioned streetlights and landscape plants along the road.

The city would still like drainage and other improvement work to be done before assuming the responsibility for East Tarpon Avenue maintenance, LeCouris said.

Since the state is grappling with a major revenue shortfall and looking to reduce spending, DOT might be more willing to give up control over East Tarpon Avenue and the maintenance costs that go with it, LeCouris said.

The Legislature is scheduled to hold a special session in January at which it will try to offset an estimate $2.3 billion budget deficit for the current fiscal year.

It is unlikely DOT would relinquish control over just the downtown section of East Tarpon Avenue, according to LeCouris. That means the city would have to assume the cost of maintaining the street from Alt. 19 to U.S. 19, he said.

Tarpon Avenue becomes Keystone Road east of U.S. 19.

If the city has to maintain all of East Tarpon Avenue it would ask DOT to provide some funding for maintenance projects along the road that remain to be completed, LeCouris said.

Commissioner Susan Slattery said city should have jurisdiction over Tarpon Avenue. Perhaps most importantly, this would free the city's hands to make changes to the dangerous intersection of Tarpon and Safford avenues, she said.

LeCouris said he will report to city commissioners as the city's talks with DOT over Tarpon Avenue continue.

DOT, the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization and City Commission would have to approve any agreement changing jurisdiction over Tarpon Avenue.

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