Lithia Pinecrest Road Widening Public Meeting Draws Crowds
Hundreds attended a recent public meeting concerning the proposed widening of approximately an 11 mile section of Lithia Pinecrest Rd. from its current two travel lane roadway to a six travel lane roadway, affecting the Brandon, Bloomingdale and Lithia communities from S.R. 60 in Brandon to C.R. 39. Read more
Intersections Get Upgrade Per Request
Hillsborough County plans to make the intersections of Kings Ave. and Victoria St. and Providence Lakes Blvd. and Kings Ave. a bit more pedestrian-friendly in the upcoming months.
Located near Brandon High School, the project concerning Kings Ave. and Victoria St. will feature the revamp of the existing traffic light, a pedestrian button, sidewalk ramps and crosswalks.
“This is part of our signalization program to increase the efficiency and safety of pedestrians in our area,” stated Hillsborough County spokesman Steve Valdez. “It is a heavy pedestrian area.” Which hits the nail on the head with a study having been done five years ago leading to the findings that 12,000 vehicles travel the roadway, a roadway originally slated for a capacity of 8,000. This peak of vehicle traffic is usually seen when the school’s session is beginning or ending. “This project will take care of these peak times,” added Valdez.
The intersection of Providence Lakes Blvd. and Kings Ave. will be fitted with a new traffic light, a pedestrian button, sidewalk ramps and crosswalks as well.
According to Valdez, the cost of both projects will be somewhere in the ballpark of $200,000 which is pulled from the Transportation Trust Fund – an account set aside specifically for transportation issues initialized from citizens’ taxes.
Both projects are expected to begin in the next few months, with no initial date having been given for its ending due to the steel mast arm poles to be used in the projects. Made site specific, these factory created poles are Florida mandated due to their ability to withstand hurricane winds and take some time to be fashioned with multiple orders coming into the factory. But no worries should come to motorists traveling these roadways as Valdez assures the public that no delays will be incurred.
“There are no geometric improvements. We may put down a little paint, but there should be no delays,” Valdez concluded. The next project the county will begin on will be the finishing of the third installment of Boyette Rd. in Riverview, but, for now, no other projects are scheduled for the Brandon area.
To learn more about any of the projects mentioned above, please visit www.hillsboroughcounty.com or call 272-5275.
County to Initiate Third Phase of Boyette
With daily traffic coming to a gridlock along the Boyette Rd. construction corridor, residents are looking for a silver lining in it all, something that may take a little while in finding as Steve Valdez, Hillsborough County spokesman, confirms that the second phase will not be completed until February of 2009. Read more
