$1 Million Road Project To Increase Walking Safety For Students

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — A new sidewalk project along McMullen Road near Rodgers Middle School will create a safe walk to school, Hillsborough County officials said.

A large waiting area will be created for students to gather to cross the streets with assistance of a crossing guard. The current sidewalk has gaps that make the commute to Rodgers Middle unsafe. Gaps will be filled with the new work going into these walkways. About 5,500 feet of sidewalk will be added to the west side of McMullen Road from north of Fawn Dale Drive to north of Leonard Avenue. To close the gap located several hundred feet south of Boyette Road in front of Pep Boys Auto Service & Tire, 200 feet of sidewalk will be added.

To increase safety for students waiting to cross McMullen Road at Tucker Road, a large landing area for staging the high volume of pedestrian traffic will be maintained on the northwest corner of the intersection. Existing paved or unpaved driveways will be paved from the road to the back of the new sidewalk, as well as extending cross drains as needed.

Hillsborough County already has built new sidewalk for almost a half-mile along the north side of Tucker Road from McMullen Road to the school. The county also installed new crosswalks at Tucker Road and McMullen Road with pedestrian-activated flashing beacons. The new crosswalks allow for a crossing guard to work the intersection during high-traffic times of day.

The total cost of this phase of the project is $1.23 million and should be complete in mid-2022.