Nebraska Avenue Roadway Improvements
Project ID
004182A
Project Location
Nebraska Avenue, between Alternate-19 and Westlake Boulevard in Palm Harbor
Project Status
Design: In progress
Project Update
Since the Project Information Meeting on Dec. 13, 2023, staff have continued working with residents and the consultant to advance the design and address necessary revisions. In early 2024, staff met with most of the property owners at the intersection of Nebraska Avenue and 16th Street to review plans and discuss options.
Design work on the mini-roundabout continues, with refinements being made to minimize impacts to the maximum extent possible. Additional drainage design work is still needed to address proper drainage flow along Nebraska Avenue and through downtown Palm Harbor.
As a result of the additional coordination and drainage design efforts, the start of project construction has been moved from late 2024 to early/middle 2025.
Project Overview
The existing roadway has two travel lanes with roadside ditches, sidewalk on the south side, sporadic sidewalk on the north side, and the existing roadway’s lane width varies from 11-12 feet through the project area. The posted speed is 25mph at the west end, in the downtown area, and 30mph once you pass Omaha Street to the east.
The project team is evaluating the need to improve safety for pedestrians by completing the sidewalk on the north side, improve segments of sidewalk on the south side, provide consistent lane widths through the corridor, improve drainage to better manage runoff from the roadway, and evaluate opportunities for traffic calming.
The project aims to preserve the character of the community and limit impacts to residents and business owners while enhancing the safety and welfare of drivers and pedestrians. Uninterrupted sidewalk on both sides of Nebraska Avenue will make it easier and safer for pedestrians to walk to school or downtown, and the drainage improvements will reduce road runoff into yards during heavy rains.
Project Status
Pinellas County held a Virtual Project Information Meeting on Dec. 13, 2023, during which staff shared information about the project’s updated design, answered questions and listened to comments. More than 200 people registered for the meeting and 135 attended. Residents learned about significant changes that were made to the design based on public feedback, including:
- Significantly reduced tree impacts
- Completion of sidewalks on both sides of the road for pedestrian and bicyclist safety
- Reduced sidewalk width to 6-to-8 feet on the north side, while still providing a safe route for students
Other key elements of the project were explained in greater detail, including:
- Drainage improvements to reduce flooding
- Staff’s recommendation of a mini-roundabout for the intersection of Nebraska Ave. and 16th St. over other intersection alternatives that were considered. Staff cited the following advantages of a mini-roundabout:
- More effective traffic calming
- Lower crash potential based on National Highway Administration statistics
- More efficient traffic flow with fewer delays for drivers
- Safer for pedestrians and bicyclists
The project team’s responsibility is to propose the safest solution based on the project goals and the limitations of the project area. We’ve heard that some members of the community oppose the mini-roundabout and we hope that the challenges this intersection presents and the reasons we are recommending the mini-roundabout were sufficiently explained during the presentation.
The updated design, while still in progress, responds to resident requests to preserve as many trees as possible. The new proposed design preserves all but five trees that need to be removed from the south side of Nebraska Avenue, near 16th Street. New trees will be planted within the corridor by the County’s Urban Forestry team, in coordination with the community, once the project is complete.
The updated design also responds to resident requests to replace the concept of a multi-use trail with a wide sidewalk on the north side of Nebraska. It would be built as a concrete sidewalk rather than an asphalt path and would avoid landscape features where possible. The sidewalk on the south side will remain in place. Segments of sidewalk along the south side that are in poor conditions will be replaced. We appreciate the community’s interest and involvement in making this project a success.
Project Location
Estimated Project Timeline
- Design: July 2022 – Spring 2024
- Construction: Early/mid-2025 – Spring 2026
Community Outreach
- Dec. 13, 2023: Pinellas County hosted a Virtual Project Information Meeting on the revisions being made to the design of the Nebraska Avenue project. Pinellas County staff and consultants shared updated designs based on residents’ input, discussed the feedback received to-date and answered questions.
- Feb. 22, 2023: Pinellas County hosted an open house at Harbor Hall in Palm Harbor to provide information on the Nebraska Avenue project. County staff and consultants shared preliminary designs, discussed the project schedule and answered questions.
Project Engineering Plans (Not Finalized)
Project Funding
This project is supported by the Penny for Pinellas.
Contact Us
Kathy Fernandez
Project Manager
Public Works / Capital Improvements
14 S. Ft. Harrison Ave., Clearwater, FL 33756
(727) 464-3695
krfernandez@pinellas.gov
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