PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Drivers in Pinellas County are hoping for some safety improvements along 62nd Avenue North, especially better street lighting.

Michele Denihan tries to avoid driving there at night, preferring to stay off 62nd Avenue North if she can.

“It’s pitch black. It’s like being in the country with no lighting,” Denihan said.

She lives in an apartment complex on 62nd Avenue North on between U.S. 19 and 49th Street.

She says it can be hard turning in and out of the complex in the dark, especially with ditches on the side of the road.

“Several times I’ve seen people run off the road. Because they can’t see to turn into the driveway,” Denihan said. “I’ve seen them run off the road into the ditches because they can’t see the road.”

Part of the issue is that there’s no turning lanes there either.

Denihan also feels that traffic has gotten much heavier on 62nd Avenue North in recent years, making the safety problem seem worse.

“It’s increased because people are using 62nd Avenue North instead of Park Boulevard. So we get more traffic. And at night, you can’t see,” Denihan said.

Pinellas County does have a proposed project on 62nd Avenue North between 49th Street North and 34th Street North (U.S. 19).

It would include new turn lanes, curbs, improved sidewalks and better lightning. A road study is expected to wrap up soon.

A roadside memorial right near Denihan’s apartment is a constant reminder of the danger and her neighbors feel there.

They would like to see the county make those road improvements there, especially the streetlights.

“I’m worried about more deaths. More car wrecks. Safety. All of it,” Denihan said.

For more information on the proposed changes, click here.