News and Updates
MPO to Host Webinar on Update of Florida Transportation Plan
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will launch its Florida Transportation Plan (FTP) Update in a statewide webinar on March 10, 2010. The webinar will be shown locally in the conference room of the MPO/Pinellas County Planning Department, 600 Cleveland Street, Suite 750 in Clearwater at 2 PM. The 2060 FTP provides a statewide vision for the future of transportation over the next 50 years, identifying the goals, objectives, and strategies necessary to address the long-term needs of the state transportation system and to guide the expenditure of federal, state, and local transportation funds.
Video Contest Invites Ideas for Improving Mass Transit Service
Tampa-based web design company Magnetic has teamed up with the Pinellas Suncost Transit Authority, HART, Tampa International Airport and the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority to sponsor a video contest designed to generate ideas from local businesses about mass transit. Video entries must answer the question "How could improved mass transit in Tampa Bay affect our community and business for you and your employees?"
The grand prize winner receives a $10 thousand website upgrade. The second place finisher receives a $2,500 online marketing campaign and the third place prize is a $1,500 email marketing campaign. The contest ends on February 26, 2010. Go to the Magnetic website for more information and to submit a video entry.
Tierra Verde Bridge Project Prioritized for Jobs for Main Street Funding
The replacement of the Tierra Verde Bridge (a.k.a. Pinellas Bayway Structure E) was moved to number three on the MPO American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding priority list following appoval by the MPO's policy board at their meeting on January 13, 2010. The action was prompted by the passage of the Jobs for Main Street Act by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 16, 2009. The Act, which is awaiting action by the U.S. Senate, would pump an additional $37.2 billion into transportation improvement projects across the nation.
The MPO's amended ARRA project list is shown below in order of priority, one being the highest. Select here to view projects in Pinellas County that have been allocated ARRA funding to date.
1. US Highway 19, north of Whitney Road to State Road 60 - partially controlled access improvements.
2. Pinellas Bayway Bridge/State Road 682 (Structure C), replacement.
3. Pinellas Bayway Bridge/State Road 679 (Structure E), replacement.
4. Ulmerton Road,
119th Street to Seminole Bypass Canal - expand to six lanes.
5. Gandy Boulevard, widening from Martin Luther King Jr. Street to 28th Street North.
6. Bryan Dairy Road, widening from Starkey Road to 72nd Street to six lanes.
MPO Approves
2035 Long Range Transportation Plan

The
MPO approved its 2035
Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)
during a public hearing held on December 9, 2009.
The multi-modal plan is updated every three years
to address the transportation needs of Pinellas
County for all major modes of travel including
automobile, transit, bicycling, walking and air
flight. The MPO-approved LRTP is currently
under review by State and Federal transportation
agencies. An LRTP
Summary,
presented to the MPO on October 14, 2009 meeting,
provides an abbreviated version of the Plan.
FDOT Advances
Ulmerton Road and US 19 Widening in New Work Program
At
the December 9, 2009 MPO meeting, FDOT officials
unveiled their fiscal
year (FY) 2010/11 - 2014/15 Tentative Work Program,
along with the announcement that improvement
projects on US 19 and Ulmerton Road, two of the
MPO's highest
priority corridors, are being advanced. On US
19, the construction of an interchange at Enterprise
Road and frontage roads between Countryside Boulevard
and Sunset Point Road will now begin construction
in FY 2011/12.
Efforts to reconstruct Ulmerton Road (SR 688)
to a six lane facility in its entirety have been
underway for several years. FDOT's Tentative Work
Program calls for all the remaining widening projects
on the facility to begin construction within the
next five years. A map identifying the project
locations is available here .
Comments on the Tentative Work Program may be
received until January 19, 2010 before it is submitted
to the Florida Legislature and adopted into the
MPO's 2010/11 Transportation Improvement Program
in the summer of 2010.
Annual TIP Update Incorporates Local Work Programs
At their December 9, 2009 meeting, the MPO approved
the Fall
Update of the FY 2009/10 - 2013/14 Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP).
The fall update is an annual amendment of the
TIP to incorporate the most recently adopted work
programs of Pinellas County and the muncipal governments. With the approval of this update, all work
programs contained in the TIP, including those
of FDOT and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
are based on the same five year schedules (FY
2009/10 - 2013/14) except for the Pinellas County
work program, which is based on a six-year schedule
(FY 2009/10 - 2014/15).
Pedestrian Safety Plan
Seeks to Reverse Increase in Pedestrian Fatalities
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.
Over the
past five years, on average, 28 people per year have died in Pinellas County
pedestrian crashes and nearly 100 people per year have sustained
incapacitating injury. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) published its Pinellas County Pedestrian Safety Action Plan in hopes of reducing these numbers. Approved by the MPO at its meeting on September 9, 2009, the Plan provides local government
agencies in the County with engineering,
enforcement, education, and emergency medical service (EMS) strategies and supporting information to help local practitioners understand the tools and organizational changes necessary to implement
these strategies.
Stop and Look Pedestrian Safety Campaign

With almost 20% of all traffic fatalities in Florida involving pedestrians, the FloridaDepartment of Transportation has launched a STOP AND LOOK Pedestrian Safety Campaign. The safety campaign is designed to promote safe pedestrian and motorist behavior, encourage people to think before they cross busy roads and to increase driver awareness of pedestrians.
MPO Passes Federal Certification Review
The planning processes of the Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco County MPOs, which comprise the Tampa Bay Transportation Management Area (TMA), are required to be reviewed every four years to ensure they are compliant with Federal Law. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) representatives conducted a review of the Pinellas County MPO in February. Based on their findings, the FHWA and FTA jointly certified that the MPO's planning process substantially meets the federal planning requirements contained in 23 CFR 450 Subpart C as indicated in their 2009 Certification Report. The report also points out noteworthy practices and recommendations to improve the MPO's current planning process. Efforts are underway to address the report's recommendations. The 2009 Certification Report was published in June 2009 and approved by the MPO at their meeting on July 8, 2009.
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.
CONTACT:
The Pinellas County MPO
600 Cleveland Street, Suite 750
Clearwater, FL 33755
gmap
Phone: 727.464.8200
Fax: 727.464.8201
mpo@pinellascounty.org
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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