Palm Harbor drivers dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic on East Lake Road won't see major relief until at least 2031. Vehicle counts already top 60,000 per day during peak hours, according to Pinellas County.
Pinellas County is in the middle of a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study of the 9.3-mile corridor, examining how traffic patterns will shift over a 20-year planning horizon. The study runs from Curlew Road north to Trinity Boulevard and covers nine signalized intersections and one interchange, according to the county's project page.
Rafal Kadaj, a senior highway engineer with the county, said the study evaluates ways to ease congestion at pinch points. Options under review include lane widening, signal timing changes and pedestrian crossing upgrades. Kadaj said the goal is making sure "not only our safety from vehicle accounted for but also pedestrian safety," as reported by Tampa Bay 28.
East Lake Road is six lanes from Curlew Road to Tampa Road, then narrows to four lanes from Tampa Road to Trinity Boulevard. The original design north of Tampa Road included a wide median to accommodate future widening.
The county's timeline stretches years into the future. The PD&E study is scheduled to wrap in late 2028. Design work would follow through late 2030, with construction expected to begin in 2031.
$148 million in grant funding sought
Funding remains uncertain. County commissioners voted unanimously July 21 to apply for a $140 million Florida Department of Transportation grant to widen East Lake Road and a separate $7.96 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant for safety improvements at the Keystone Road intersection, as the Tampa Bay Beacons reported Aug. 10. The county's local match would total about $37 million, expected to come from Penny for Pinellas sales tax revenue.
The widening project is not in the county's current 2026–2031 Capital Improvement Plan. If the FDOT grant is awarded, the first fiscal impact would come in 2031, according to the county's Office of Management and Budget.
The Keystone Road and East Lake Road intersection has been flagged as a hot spot in the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan. Two fatalities and 15 crashes have been recorded there. Proposed fixes include an additional eastbound left-turn lane, longer turn-lane storage, improved signal timing, street lighting and crosswalks. That project is at 30% design.
Smaller fixes already underway
Some work isn't waiting for the big project. An additional travel lane is already being added at the Tarpon Woods intersection.
Palm Harbor resident Jan Rysdon, who said she has lived in the area off and on since the early 1990s, told Tampa Bay 28 that traffic heading to Pasco County has "tremendously increased." She also urged the county to do more outreach beyond the internet, noting that many of her neighbors are older and don't search online for project updates.
The county held two public meetings in 2022 and said additional meetings will be scheduled as projects within the corridor develop. No date for the next meeting has been announced.
Residents can contact project manager Dana Parkinson at Pinellas County Public Works at (727) 464-3640 or find updates at pinellas.gov/projects/east-lake-road-corridor/.
