The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Visit FDOT’s website, District Seven is conducting a safety action plan along the US 19 frontage roads. US 19 is a primary north-south facility through Pinellas County from the Skyway Bridge to the Pinellas/Pasco County line. US 19 is a limited access facility in the center of the County. This project focuses on the frontage roads along US 19, which begin north of 49th Street and end north of SR 580 (Main Street). The 11.5 mile stretch of frontage roads passes through Pinellas Park, Largo, Clearwater, and unincorporated Pinellas County.
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The frontage roads vary between one and two lanes in each direction as lanes are added and dropped to merge and diverge from US 19 with additional turn lanes at the intersections. There is a five to six-foot sidewalk on the right-hand side of each frontage road through much of the corridor and a three-foot paved shoulder that widens to a four-foot marked bike lane in spot locations. The posted speed limit is 45 mph.
The area along US 19 is primarily characterized by commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential land uses including multiple mobile home parks. The southern portion of the study area, up to SR 686, is part of the Pinellas Gateway Area which is currently undergoing a master planning effort through Forward Pinellas. The Master Plan is scheduled to be completed in September 2019.
Study Purpose
This project is being undertaken to objectively evaluate possible changes to improve multimodal safety, operations, and connectivity.
This study will also provide the local municipalities recommendations for land use changes that may help facilitate the recommended multimodal improvements to the roadway.
This effort will build upon recently completed and ongoing planning efforts including the 2016 US 19 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safe Access to Transit Corridor Study and Pinellas Gateway/Mid-County Area Master Plan, the City of Clearwater’s land development code update, and FDOT’s US 19 Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study. This study will coordinate with and review recommendations north of Curlew Road from ongoing design projects.