Track Work Derails Drivers

By RICH SHOPES The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 30, 2007

CLEARWATER - Commuters heading to work after the long Memorial Day weekend swamped U.S. 19 and Bayshore Boulevard on Tuesday.

Repairs to railroad tracks shut down McMullen-Booth Road on Friday night, and some motorists didn't know about the detours until returning to work.

"It's a really big pain," said Amanda Platt of Safety Harbor, who tried to squeak by barricades south of Coachman Road only to get turned around. "I tried to find another way around. I got lost in a neighborhood for half an hour."

There was no cutting through, even for local traffic.

About 70,000 vehicles a day use McMullen-Booth Road. Many are headed to the Courtney Campbell Parkway or to St. Petersburg.

Pinellas officials set detours to U.S. 19 at Drew Street and Coachman Road, and signs have warned motorists about the work for weeks, but officials figured some drivers will try to find their own way.

"I was down there Saturday, and people were driving all the way to the end, to the railroad tracks, and turning around," county transportation Director Mahshid Arasteh said.

CSX workers are replacing the tracks just north of Alligator Creek.

Cars are being blocked in both directions because the rails must be laid in long sections and the rail bed compacted evenly before traffic can resume.

Delays are expected for three weeks. Barring bad weather, workers might finish a few days early, Arasteh said.

Paul Matthews of New Port Richey prefers McMullen-Booth to less-scenic U.S. 19.

"It's a nicer drive," said Matthews, a technical support worker at Bright House Networks in St. Petersburg.

On Tuesday, workers were trying to find the fastest way south.

Matthews turned at Curlew Road rather than driving south to Coachman.

The gamble paid off, and he quickly picked up U.S. 19 south. The drive went fine until a bottleneck at Countryside Boulevard that continued to Drew Street.

Engineers said the additional traffic from McMullen-Booth Road added 10 minutes to the morning drive time.

"Between the construction, the traffic, the lights … it's a mess," said Platt, referring to U.S. 19.

Other drivers took Main Street in Safety Harbor to Bayshore Boulevard to Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard.

Commute times on Bayshore were two minutes longer, Arasteh said.

Engineers extended the green light cycle at Bayshore and the parkway to 40 seconds from 20 seconds to help morning commuters heading to Tampa.

For drivers heading to the Bayside Bridge and into St. Petersburg, Arasteh recommended they continue on Bayshore at Drew Street, then pick up McMullen-Booth Road south.

Traffic engineers plan to add portable electronic signs to help motorists find the fastest routes, she said.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or at rshopes@tampatrib.com.