Yakes, Welch Call for County to Make Gulfport Boulevard Safety Improvements

Just four years ago, the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners announced that it would fund improvements to 22nd Avenue South/Gulfport Boulevard. The roadway is, after all, a main thoroughfare through Gulfport and has seen increased usage over the years as both the city and number of those using the road to connect to the Gulf beaches has grown.

The original plan called for widening the road between the 275 exit and entrance ramps to 58^th Street, increasing the number of lanes from two to four, as well as making significant safety improvements.

This was in 2008, during the first extension of Penny for Pinellas, a 1 percent sales tax that was used to help fund capital improvement projects in the County.

Then, said Commissioner Kenneth Welch, who represents District 7, which includes Gulfport, the recession hit and the Penny for Pinellas initiative brought in significantly less money than was anticipated. “With the economic downturn, there was less money coming in because people were buying less,” Welch said during a July 27th visit to the Gulfport Public Library, where he held open hours to meet with residents. “So there was less sales tax, and less money for projects.”

This meant planned projects had their budgets slashed and, in the case of some, including the Gulfport Boulevard renovation, were pushed to the wayside entirely. “Projects were delayed or forgotten,” Welch said. “Now, [Gulfport Boulevard] isn’t even on the current 10-year plan for the county. I want to see it get moved back up as soon as possible.”

The timing of Welch’s speaking up about the road revisions couldn’t have been better. Gulfport Mayor Mike Yakes came to the same conclusion separately, that same week announcing at the city’s Board of Trustees meeting that he had teamed up with St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster to put pressure on the county to renew interest in the project. Yakes and Foster have crafted and sent a letter to the County Commission requesting that it come through on its promise to make the much needed improvements.

They also plan to reach out to the Department of Transportation, since part of the project revolves around the 275 interchange, which falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Yakes said he hopes the DOT will conduct a study of this portion of the roadway and suggest possible improvements to it.

“I’m very concerned about this. It’s a major county road and it runs through the heart of my city,” he said. “I’m very anxious to see these improvements made. We need to be more aggressive about it.” Both St. Petersburg and Gulfport “have equal ownership over the roadway,” Yakes added. By banding together, he hopes they have more leverage with the county while trying to bring the project back.

Realizing that enough money to fund the original plan might not be available, what Yakes and Foster are asking for is a significantly scaled down version of it, with the primary focus on safety enhancements. Now, the new plan calls for widened crosswalks, increased signage -- especially school crossing signs -- and improved drainage.

Kenneth Welch says the busy intersection at 49th Street South and Gulfport Boulevard especially needs safety improvements, as do the sections in front of the two schools on the road and in front of Clymer Park.

“I hear from the users of the road all the time, and it certainly needs to be improved,” Yakes said. “We’re a small city, but we’re a really active city, and involved. We’re always very respectful, but we need to stand up for what we’re entitled to.”