News and Updates

MPO Approves Amendments to Transportation Improvement Program at May 9 Hearing

PSTA Replaces MPO as Community Transportation Coordinator for the Transportation Disadvantaged Program

MPO Approves Long Range Transportation Plan Amendments

Pinellas on the Move - PSTA Annual Ridership Record Highlights
Transportation Performance Report (E-news: Vol. 3, No. 1)

FDOT Launches New Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Campaign

MPO Approves Fall Update and Amendment of Transportation Improvement Program

FDOT Presents New State Transportation Work Program

MPO Approves New Program of Projects for Jobs Access Reverse Commute and New Freedom funding

Pinellas on the Move - Crosswalk Improvements Aid Pedestrian Safety (E-news: Vol. 2, No. 1)

Walkwise Tampa Bay - Spreading the Word on Pedestrian Safety

MPO Approves Amendments to Transportation Improvement Program at May 9 Hearing

The MPO approved amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011/12 – FY 2015/16 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) at a public hearing held during its monthly meeting on May 9, 2012. The proposed amendments are described below.

• Added scheduling of sidewalk project along Nursery Road from Oakadia Drive East to Belcher Road for construction in FY 2012/13.  Project is funded by the Federal Safe Routes to School Program.  Cost is $580,000.  FPN #430405-2.

• Added scheduling of Bayway Trail North Phase II from Gulf Intercoastal Drawbridge to Pinellas Bayway for preliminary engineering in FY 2012/13.  Project is funded by the Federal Transportation Enhancement Program.  Cost is $290,000.  FPN #424532-5. 

• Added scheduling of 30th Avenue North Bicycle Facility from 58th Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Street for preliminary engineering in FY 2012/13.  Project is funded by the Federal Transportation Enhancement Program.  Cost is $290,000.  FPN #424532-8.

• Added scheduling of On-Street Bicycle Lanes at Various Locations within the City of St. Petersburg for preliminary engineering in FY 2012/13.  Project is funded by the Federal Transportation Enhancement Program.  Cost is $40,175.  FPN #424532-1.

The TIP is required by Federal and State Law and contains the transportation work programs of the County’s local governments, including the airports and the Port of St. Petersburg, as well as the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. 

PSTA Replaces MPO as Community Transportation Coordinator for the Transportation Disadvantaged Program

Beginning July 1, 2012, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) will be the new Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) for the Pinellas County Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) Program. The designation of PSTA as the new CTC was approved by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (CTD) on April 12, 2012. The PSTA will be replacing the MPO in this role, which it has served since the amendment of Chapter 427, F.S., in 1989. The statutory amendment created the Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund to provide transportation assistance to people who do not have access to life sustaining transportation services due to a physical or mental impairment. As the CTC, PSTA has full responsibility for the delivery of transportation services to the transportation disadvantaged community as defined in Chapter 427, F.S.

The idea to transition the CTC designation from the MPO to PSTA was endorsed by both agencies in December, 2011 in an effort to improve the coordination of service delivery between the TD Program and PSTA's paratransit service (a.k.a., Dial-A-Ride Transit or DART), which is provided to people who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals wishing to apply or arrange for transportation through the TD Program can do so by contacting PSTA's InfoLine at (727) 540-1900 or through the PSTA website.

MPO Approves Long Range Transportation Plan Amendments

The MPO approved amendments to five projects identified in the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The MPO action modifies Table 56, adjusting the funding years and cost estimates for the projects listed below. In addition, the amendment changed the descriptions for FPN #256995 1, FPN #256995 2, and FPN #256995 3.

• FPN #256995 1, SR 686 from north of Ulmerton Road to east of 40th Street. Construction of new four lane facility.

• FPN #413622 2 – CR 296 (Future SR 690) from US Highway 19 to east of SR 686 (Roosevelt Boulevard/CR 296) at 40th Street.  Construction of new four lane facility with frontage roads. Right-of-way acquisition scheduled in FY 2013/14. 

• FPN #256995 2 – 43rd Street Extension from CR 296 (118th Avenue North) to 40th Street.  Construction of new four lane facility scheduled in FY 2015/16. 

• FPN #256995 3 – SR 688 (Ulmerton Road) from east of 49th Street to west of 38th Street North.  Construction of new four to six lane facility scheduled in FY 2015/16. 

• FPN #256931 2, SR 694/Gandy Boulevard from west of Martin Luther King Jr./9th Street to east of 4th Street. Reconstruction providing four through lanes with frontage roads scheduled in FY 2012/13.

The LRTP is required by Federal and State Law and provides the policy framework for the MPO planning program. The Plan assesses the existing and future transportation needs of Pinellas County and sets forth improvements necessary to address those needs.

FDOT Launches New Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Campaign

In an effort to educate all parties and lower the number of pedestrians and bicyclists injured and killed in the State, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has launched a new pedestrian and bicycle safety campaign, See the Blind Spots. The campaign utilizes television, radio, print media, outdoor advertising and a website http://www.seetheblindspots.com/ to achieve the goal of the initiative, which according to District Secretary Don Skelton, is to "reduce pedestrian fatalities in the Tampa Bay area by 20% before the year 2015."

"We are launching this bold campaign to reduce the number of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths by bringing awareness to both the driver and the pedestrian and bicyclist," the Secretary explained in a November 7, 2011 release. The See the Blind Spots website features safety tips for bicyclists and pedestrians, crash data, and a section where members of the public can upload personal stories about pedestrian or bicyclist crashes that can be shared with the community.

MPO Approves Fall Update and Amendment of Transportation Improvement Program

The MPO approved the annual fall update of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011/12 – FY 2015/16 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) at their regularly scheduled meeting on November 9, 2011. The update incorporates the recently adopted Pinellas County and municipal work programs into the TIP.

The MPO also approved an amendment to the TIP to include a State of Florida Good Repair Program grant awarded to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) for the purchase of buses.  The grant amount is $5 million. 

FDOT Presents New State Transportation Work Program

The Florida Department of Transportation District 7 Office presented their new Five-Year Tentative Work Program for Fiscal Years 2012/13 through 2017/18 at a Public Hearing Webinar on October 13, 2011. The FDOT presentation can be viewed here The Tentative Work Program covers the next five years of preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition, construction, and public transportation projects for Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties and includes Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise projects in these counties.

MPO Approves Program of Projects for Jobs Access Reverse Commute and New Freedom funding

A new list of projects was approved for federal Jobs Access Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom (NF) funding by the MPO at their monthly meeting on September 14, 2011.  The JARC Program is intended to provide transportation to welfare recipients and eligible low-income individuals to and from jobs and activities related to their employment. The New Freedom (NF) Program is designed to provide services and public transportation alternatives for disabled individuals beyond those required by the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.  The programs are authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The projects were competitively selected based on their capacity to further the objectives of the Tri-County Access Plan, which identifies regional transportation needs of older adults, persons with disabilities, and low income people living in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Prior to the Pinellas MPO action, the project lists were approved by the Hillsborough and Pasco County MPOs.  

Walkwise Tampa Bay - Spreading the Word on Pedestrian Safety

Over the past five years, the number of per capita pedestrian crash fatalities in Florida has been higher than every other state except New Mexico. Walkwise Tampa Bay, a grassroots initiative managed by the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at USF and funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7, is doing its part to reverse this trend. Representatives of CUTR are covering the Tampa Bay region speaking to businesses, civic associations, churches, schools and other groups about pedestrian safety and asking their audiences to take the Walkwise pledge to join the growing list of ambassadors for pedestrian safety. Anyone living or working in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties is invited to request a free Pedestrian Safety Presentation for their organization.

About the MPO

The Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) was established in 1977 following the passage of the Federal Highway Act of 1974. The task of the MPO is to develop plans, policies and priorities that guide local decision making on transportation issues. Principal responsibilities include the development of a 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), a five-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a two-year Unified Planning Work Program and related transportation planning studies and projects. For more on the role of MPOs, read MPO's: A Primer.

The MPO seeks to improve transportation in the county for all principal modes of travel, including mass transit, walking, and bicycling, as well as automobile. The MPO prioritizes capital improvements to address the county's travel needs and allocates federal funding to implement the projects as identified in the TIP and the LRTP.

MPO Public Involvement Opportunities

The MPO places a high value on public involvement. Presentations are made to professional, civic and social groups. The MPO also participates in community-based public involvement events including public hearings, forums and community fairs.

One way to become involved in transportation planning is by making a brief presentation on an issue that deeply concerns you during the "Citizens to be Heard" segment of the MPO's monthly meeting. Another way is through participation on one of the MPO's advisory committees. Openings occur periodically, and you are encouraged to apply if you are interested and willing to make a time commitment.

For any questions or comments regarding the contents of this website, please email, mail or telephone the MPO using the contact information below.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

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