ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — If you’ve been on a four-mile stretch of 4th Street N in St. Petersburg the past few months, you’ve likely seen orange barrels, lane closures and maybe even some close calls.
The $7 million ongoing road construction project is meant to improve safety and traffic flow on the oft-traveled St. Petersburg corridor, but some folks who live around the area say it’s having the opposite effect right now.
“It’s absolutely a mess. It's caused a lot of confusion,” St. Petersburg native Michele Knight said. She’s lived off 4th Street for the past decade. “The danger is there, and this just made it worse."
She says the FDOT project to modify medians, lengthen left turn lanes and build more crosswalks is leading to confusion and close calls on the road as of late. Our 10 Tampa Bay cameras even caught one near accident on camera Friday afternoon.
“I’ve seen people jumping the medians traveling the wrong way trying to get to the streets or get to a business by doing a U-turn. I personally have almost been hit by somebody doing a U-turn where they just weren't paying attention,” Knight said.
She said her fears were made even worse when a motorcyclist was killed in a crash on 4th St. earlier this month.
“That upset me a lot," Knight said.
FDOT says the construction will ultimately make the road safer for drivers and pedestrians.
“Full median openings create more exposure for potential vehicular crashes. Reducing the number of median openings reduces the exposure to such crashes. On 4th Street, there are numerous full median openings as compared to other major roads,” Kris Carson with FDOT said.
Adding in a four-year stretch between 2014 and 2018, there were more than 1,500 crashes and nine deaths on the 4-mile-long segment alone.
While U-turn locations are available to get to nearby businesses, FDOT says drivers can also utilize St. Pete’s grid system to reach their destination.
Though folks like Michele say there has to be something better and safer than what she’s seen recently.
“The U-turns I've seen have not been safe. Not at all,” Knight added.
The project is slated to be completed in the summer of this year. In the meantime, it's a good reminder for drivers passing through the area to be patient, take it slow and stay safe.
"Just be careful, be cautious, but also don't be a detriment to other drivers who do know their way and trying to get home," Knight said. "The limit is 45 mph through here."
Lane closures are expected northbound and southbound through next week. For more information about the project, click here.