By Christina Mendoza, AICP Home to world-renowned beaches, incredible marine life, and beautiful amenities, with more than 15 million visitors each year, Pinellas County is truly known as a waterfront paradise. However, driving to and from our coastal communities can be time-consuming and frustrating both for Pinellas County residents and tourists, and there are very…
By Whit Blanton, FAICP Regional leaders formally renewed discussions of developing passenger rail in Tampa Bay with state officials from the Florida Department of Transportation last week. The meeting, hosted by the Sun Coast Transportation Planning Alliance (SCTPA), focused on the rail tracks owned and operated by CSX, the national freight rail conglomerate, renewing a…
By Whit Blanton, FAICP During the last two sessions, the Florida Legislature has introduced and advanced bills that purport to be about pedestrian safety by modifying or restricting use of certain safe crossing devices at mid-block crosswalks. These bills actually run counter to improving pedestrian safety, using a tragic fatality to keep Florida’s roadways “dangerous…
By Chelsea Favero, AICP We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re trying to get your kids to school in Pasco and then drive through rush-hour traffic to your job in Tampa. Maybe you’re looking forward to making that cross-county trip to hit the beaches or see a show this weekend. Maybe you can’t wait to go…
Interactive Survey Demonstrates the Downtown St. Petersburg Community’s Preferences, Needs and Opportunities Plans to improve mobility and accessibility in Downtown St. Petersburg are well underway! Earlier this year, Forward Pinellas launched the Downtown St. Petersburg Mobility Study in partnership with the City of St. Petersburg and the Florida Department of Transportation, and we’ve already received insightful feedback from the community. Nearly 500…
Calling artists of all ages! We need your help to design artwork for Safe Streets Pinellas. Now through August 31, 2020, create and submit your artwork depicting what #SafeStreets means to you. Artwork can include a drawing, painting, photo, computer graphic, or other piece of art. Get creative! The Winner’s art will be featured on…
~~Forward Pinellas launches survey to shape the vision of their community~~ Ever wish there were more opportunities to bike in Downtown St. Pete? Maybe you live nearby and would like a way to safely access and enjoy downtown? Or maybe you would like an easier drive from your work to museums? Now is the time…
The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) has awarded the 2020 Excellence in Regional Transportation Award to the Resilient Tampa Bay: Transportation Study. The award recognizes organizations for noteworthy projects and practices in transportation planning, program delivery, and special initiatives. This project was made possible through a regional planning partnership between Forward Pinellas, the Hillsborough…
View all projects on the Interactive TIP Map! The Forward Pinellas Board adopted the 2020 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) in June, which reflects the projects that are slated for state and federal funding throughout Pinellas County. The TIP includes roadway projects, bicycle and pedestrian projects, transit projects, and many more. You can easily view where…
Epidemic Event Shapes Community Transportation Notions Extreme events have evolved within the last several months as COVID-19 rattled the world with its unparallel imprint. Forward Pinellas staff expresses sincere sympathy to the individuals and families affected by the devastating tragedies across the globe and here in Pinellas County. In our role planning for transportation and…
St. Petersburg Council Member Jim Kennedy is a member and former chair of our board. Given recent editorials and articles in the Tampa Bay Times about forming a regional MPO, he felt compelled to respond. An abbreviated version of this letter ran in today’s paper. The Tampa Bay Times continues to beat the drum for a regional…
UPDATE, 10/3: The Florida Department of Transportation has postponed both the Tampa and St. Petersburg hearings to a later date and has announced it will not convert the auxiliary lanes to express lanes on the bridge. We will provide more information on the rescheduled hearings as it becomes available. An average of 72,500 vehicles each…