Forward Pinellas Aims To Get Funding For Major Road Projects

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — New transportation projects in St. Petersburg and surrounding areas are being prioritized for funding requests by the Forward Pinellas Board.

The ten added projects have become eligible to receive state and federal funding, a Forward Pinellas news release said.

"Forward Pinellas will work closely with the Florida Department of Transportation to secure funding for these projects in the coming year," the board said in a statement.

According to the board, safety and mobility improvements for bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians are the goals of completed projects.

Forward Pinellas Provided Some Of The Priority Projects Listed Below:

• Interchange and frontage road construction on U.S. Highway 19 from north of Main Street to the north of Curlew Road
• Express lane construction on Interstate 275 from the Howard Frankland Bridge to downtown St. Petersburg
• Construction of a new roadway connection along 126th Avenue in Pinellas Park
• Construction of new bicycle and pedestrian crossings along the Pinellas Trail Loop at State Road 60, State Road 580, and at Roosevelt Boulevard, and Fourth/Gandy Boulevard
• Construction of new multi-use trails along the 28th corridor in St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park, along the Sunset Point Rd corridor in Clearwater and Safety Harbor, along 18th Avenue South in St. Petersburg, and to fill in the gaps in the Pinellas Trail Loop
• Funding for transit replacement vehicles for the PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) fleet
• Funding for transit stop and station improvements along the 34th Street South corridor in St. Petersburg

Construction of roadway modifications and bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements at the following locations:

• 62nd Avenue North from 49th to 34th Street South in unincorporated Pinellas County
• Alt U.S. 19 intersections in Seminole, Largo and Dunedin
• 78th Avenue North from 49th to U.S. 19 in Pinellas Park
• Belleair Road from Keene Road to U.S.19 in unincorporated Pinellas County