PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Clearwater drivers are frustrated about a big change to a busy road: State Road 590 near McMullen Booth Road.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently added a concrete median separator there, which is right outside the Bayside Bridge Shopping Plaza.
The change has been jarring to folks who live nearby because they can no longer turn left out of the shopping plaza there.
“It’s a mess, for those of us who live in this area and are used to going to this Publix and shopping center,” said Pinellas County resident Laura Klamo.
Klamo said she’s been going to the shopping plaza for 30 years and never had a problem getting in and out.
Now with the new median, drivers can’t turn left to head west on State Road 590 toward U.S. 19. Instead, they have to turn right and make a U-turn at busy McMullen Booth Road.
“You have to cut to the left and now wait for the light. Sometimes traffic is backed up all the way back, depending on the time of day,” Klamo said.
Klamo says this change has been a big adjustment for the businesses and customers alike. They don’t know why it was added.
“I worry for my neighbors who can’t make a left turn easily,” Klamo said.
FDOT officials say the new median was added as part of a repaving project on State Road 590. It was installed to reduce traffic crashes.
However, they now say their observations post-construction show the median won’t be needed. There are now plans to remove it. A timetable has not been set yet.