Largo Considers Street Safety Improvement Plan

Largo has more than 90 miles of streets, sidewalks, trails and unimproved rights-of-way that help connect central Pinellas County.

The city conducted a study recently and hopes to implement a plan that will accommodate growth and make it easier and safer to travel around Largo.

The "Multimodal Plan" was presented at the Largo City Commission Work Session on Dec. 11.

Crash Data Analyzed

Right now some of Largo's streets "cannot adequately support bicycle and pedestrian activities," according to a city report.

The transportation study used data from bicycle and pedestrian crash reports from 2007-11 to identify possible "high hazard locations" and provide possible safety recommendations. The study included an online survey and a public meeting to get community input.

The initial list, identified in the transportation study of the "high hazard priority corridors," includes:

• Clearwater-Largo Road, north of West Bay Drive
• East Bay and West Bay drives
• Seminole Boulevard and Missouri Avenue
• Ulmerton Road from Belcher Road to U.S. 19
• Intersection of Walsingham and Indian Rocks roads

Roads Prioritized for Improvement

A prioritized-project list was created, which can be phased in over 25 years. Next steps include the city commission considering the transportation improvement plan at an upcoming city commission meeting. From there, projects on city-owned streets and roads could be added to the city's Capital Improvement Program.

The top prioritized, city-owned road right-of-way improvement projects are:

• Highland Avenue between East Bay Drive and Belleair Road
• Rosery Road between the Pinellas Trail and Highland Avenue
• Trotter Road between 134th Avenue and Eighth Avenue SW
• Eighth Avenue SE between Missouri Avenue and Donegan Road
• McMullen Road between Lake Avenue and Keene Road
• Alternate Keene Road between East Bay Drive and McMullen Road
• West Bay Drive between Clearwater-Largo Road and Missouri Avenue
• Sixteenth Avenue NW between Pinellas Trail and the Railroad Tracks
• Fourth Avenue NW between Clearwater-Largo Road and Missouri Avenue
• Whitney Road between 58th Street and Bolesta Road

Some of the prioritized transportation improvements are on county and state roads, which means the city will work with planning organizations and officials at the regional, state and federal levels.

Prioritized, county-owned right-of-way projects include parts of Starkey, Indian Rocks, Belleair, and Mehlenbacher roads. Prioritized, state-owned right-of-way projects include parts of East Bay Drive, Roosevelt Boulevard, Missouri Avenue and Seminole Boulevard.

Types of proposed improvements

Proposed roadway improvements include more sidewalks, adding mid-block crosswalks, adding landscaping buffers to help protect pedestrians, and creating paved shoulders and lanes for bikes.

The City of Largo plans a safety education program to raise awareness of bike and pedestrian laws and safety measures.

Largo plans to record and assess existing lighting conditions along its network of streets. Then identify and implement needed improvements to meet state standards, according to the transportation study.

What types of roadway improvements do you think are needed? Let us know in the comments.

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