​Sewer Repair To Affect Traffic Along South Fort Harrison Avenue

CLEARWATER, FL — The city of Clearwater will replace a manhole along Pinellas Street that will affect traffic along South Fort Harrison Avenue and those going to Morton Plant Hospital in downtown Clearwater.

Construction will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, and part of Pinellas Street will be closed that weekend, reopening at approximately 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22.

A contractor for the city, Rowland Inc., will work around the clock to complete construction. During this time, Pinellas Street from South Fort Harrison Avenue to Reynolds Avenue will be closed to traffic and pedestrians. The best detour routes to use include South Fort Harrison Avenue, Jeffords Street and Reynolds Avenue. Jeffords Street, Druid Road, Reynolds Avenue and Morton Plant Street will not be impacted.

All areas of Morton Plant Hospital in downtown Clearwater will be available through detour routes. A comprehensive traffic plan will be in place, and several signs will be posted through the construction area to direct traffic. Residents will need to follow detour signs on South Fort Harrison Avenue to access the hospital.

Detour routes to access buildings of the hospital correlate to the map. Various buildings of the Morton Plant Hospital can be accessed using these detour routes:

Location 1 includes the Witt Building, Barnard Building, Emergency Room, Morgan Heart Hospital, Adler Building, Lykes Pavilion and the Doyle Tower. Parking lot access is available to all buildings at location 1 by taking Jeffords Street.

Location 2 includes the PTAK Orthopedic and Neuroscience Pavilion, Axelrod Pavilion and 1240 S. Fort Harrison Ave. Building. Access is available from Jeffords Street to Reynolds Avenue to Morton Plant Street.

Location 3 includes the Cheek Powell Heart and Vascular Pavilion and Madonna PTAK Morton Plant Rehabilitation Center. Access is available from Jeffords Street to Reynolds Avenue to the parking garage on Pinellas Street. To exit the parking garage, exit on Watkins Road to Bay Avenue. (Residents will not be allowed to exit to Pinellas Street.)

Location 4 includes the Powell Pavilion. It can be accessed in two ways. The first is from Jeffords Street to the hospital's west entrance parking lot. The second is by taking Jeffords Street to Reynolds Avenue to Pinellas Street.

Location 5 will be unaffected by the closure. The parts of the hospital include BayCare laboratories, Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation, Harbor Oaks/1106 Druid Road S., the credit union and physicians'parking/valet reserved parking off of Bay Avenue and Jeffords Street.

Schedules may change due to weather or conditions. If you have questions or concerns, call the city of Clearwater's Engineering Department at (727)562-4750.