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West Shore work to unclog traffic
The $5.2-million project is crimping business now, but easing snarls on West Shore may help later.
By JANEL STEPHENS
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 15, 2002
PORT TAMPA -- Dust clouds filled the air as cars zoomed past Westshore Deli & Market. Inside, Anthony Burks tallied the business he lost since construction began on S West Shore Boulevard last month.
"We lost about $500 a week on the market," said Burks, 41, deli manager. "We used to get about $1,500 per day. Now it's more like $1,100 to $1,200 per day."
And he knows this is only the beginning.
Work along West Shore will continue through mid-2004.
The construction is part of plans to add a center turn lane along West Shore Boulevard between Gandy Boulevard and Prescott Street. The $5.2-million road project involves adding sidewalks, gutters, curbs, medians for pedestrians and two stormwater ponds.
The project is scheduled to begin in January and last 18 months, said Jim Burnside, city streets engineer supervisor.
In preparation, the city's water department had to replace or tie existing pipes to new ones. Work began in October and should be done next week, said Mark Oural, the department's chief engineer.
The piping work required the city to shut off water to the area for about eight hours for a few days last week, he said. Residents got notices telling them about the interruption and advising them to boil their drinking water when it came back on.
Nery Gonzalez, a mother of three who lives on S West Shore Circle, didn't waste any time getting ready.
"As soon as I received the notice I filled my tub with water," said Gonzalez, 37. She boiled several pots of water for cooking and bought bottled water for drinking.
Residents and businesses agree the end result is worth the hassles.
"When they improve (the road), business is gonna be back more than ever," said Dave Marshall, manager of Circle K at 6802 West Shore Blvd. "We're looking forward to it."
The project was designed to alleviate traffic congestion on S West Shore Boulevard, a main, north-south corridor traveled by 12,000 and 13,000 vehicles a day, Burnside said. About 10 percent of the traffic are trucks from Port Tampa and other area commercial and industrial sites.
During road construction, trucks will be detoured to Dale Mabry Highway and local traffic onto Manhattan Avenue, Burnside said. Periodically, crews will close roads.
Once completed, the project will prevent drivers from having to wait behind cars trying to make a left turn.
Jill Buford, president of the Port Tampa's civic association, said her group lobbied hard to include medians to help pedestrian crossing the street.
"I think this is definitely needed, especially with the new development coming in," she said.
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