Drivers navigating the heavily traveled intersection at Seminole and Park boulevards have undoubtedly noticed the orange cones, heavy machinery and shifting traffic patterns in recent weeks.
Local officials and county project managers are reassuring commuters that despite major physical changes underway, essential traffic lanes are here to stay.
The intersection upgrade, a Pinellas County project, is designed to replace aging span-wire traffic signals with heavy-duty steel mast arms, improve pedestrian safety and modernize drainage.
According to Pinellas County officials, the project’s target completion date remains tentatively set for Nov. 20, just 10 days before the official end of the hurricane season.
Much of the local anxiety surrounding the construction has centered on the high-volume right-turn lane, particularly for drivers traveling near local businesses like Starbucks.
The scope of the project covers the full intersection, replacing the dangling span-wire signals and removing the concrete corner islands to make way for permanent steel mast arms and upgraded crosswalks.
Rumors had circulated among frequent commuters and local leaders that the right-turn option was being eliminated altogether to accommodate the new signal poles.
However, Pinellas County Public Works explicitly confirmed this week that the right-turn lane is not being removed, but rather reconfigured.
During a recent City Council meeting, Seminole City Manager Ann Toney-Deal relayed updates from city administration and county engineers, explaining that the old concrete “half-moon” median islands, often referred to as slip lanes, are being completely removed.
In the past, drivers turning right could gradually sweep or phase into traffic using these yield islands. Under the new layout, motorists will instead proceed all the way to the intersection’s stop bar under direct traffic signal control to execute a traditional, right-angle turn.
The removal of those concrete islands is central to the project’s overall safety goal.
County officials explained that traditional right-turn slip lanes create uncontrolled pedestrian crossings where walkers and cyclists are forced to cross moving traffic without the protection of a signal. Because motorists entering a slip lane are focusing on merging into flowing traffic rather than stopping, pedestrians face heightened risks.
“By removing the right-turn slip lanes, we eliminate the uncontrolled pedestrian crossings where pedestrians must cross traffic without the protection of a traffic signal,” Pinellas County Public Works officials noted in a statement to the Beacons. “Removing the slip lanes and requiring motorists to proceed to the stop bar under signal control improves pedestrian safety by providing a controlled crossing and reducing potential conflicts between pedestrians and turning vehicles.”
During the council discussion, City Manager Deal highlighted the hazard of the corner turn-lane islands, noting that pedestrians are often left stranded on the small concrete triangles waiting to cross busy lanes. She framed the redesigned crosswalks as a crucial safety fix.
Constructing safer crosswalks and installing permanent steel mast arms requires significant infrastructure work beneath the pavement. Deal explained during the meeting that Duke Energy has been conducting extensive underground work, accounting for much of the unseen prep work before major physical activity occurs above ground. In addition to electrical upgrades, crews are tackling localized drainage issues near the intersection to eliminate standing water during heavy summer rainstorms.
Deal also noted that smaller municipal and county projects operate under different logistical constraints than major state highway overhauls.
“I have not noticed many counties in my whole career that do night work,” Deal said, “It’s normally state projects.” Unlike state interstate projects that can run around the clock, local roadway work must balance contractor availability against the high cost of off-duty law enforcement details required for night work.
However, night work will be required for the most intensive phases of the project. Pinellas County Public Works confirmed that “temporary, overnight lane closures” will take place when final paving occurs and when cranes arrive on-site to hoist the heavy steel mast arms into place. Specific dates for those overnight closures will be announced once the contractor finalizes the schedule.
While some council members jokingly expressed skepticism over whether the contractor would hit the Nov. 20 target, given that earlier estimates had eyed a late-summer wrapup, the county maintains that work is moving forward on schedule.
For now, Seminole drivers are advised to exercise caution, anticipate minor delays during utility work, and prepare for the final transition to a safer, signal-controlled intersection before the holidays.