Pinellas County outlines 3‑lane redesign, 2‑lane roundabout and new signals for 102nd Avenue; residents raise drainage and traffic concerns

Pinellas County Public Works staff on Wednesday presented a 60% design for the Hundred and Second Avenue North roadway improvements project and recommended a two‑lane roundabout at Ridge Road to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow.

Senior engineer Arturo Martinez, the county’s presenter, summarized the plan as a three‑lane roadway with a center two‑way left‑turn lane, curb and gutter, an 8‑foot sidewalk on the south side and a 5‑foot sidewalk on the north side. Martinez said, “The project's primary goals are to reduce crashes and improve the safety for all road users along the roadway and at intersections.” He said crash counts from 2019–2024 show 42 crashes at the 100th and 13th Street intersection and 22 crashes at the Ridge Road intersection, which informed the designs.

The county’s recommendation also includes a traffic signal with mast arms at 120th Fifth Street North, improvements to the Pinellas Trail crossing and Ashley Drive signalization, paving of an existing trail parking area, and a two‑lane roundabout at Ridge Road. Martinez told the meeting the two‑lane roundabout “provides the needed capacity to move traffic through and around the intersection,” and that staff expect about four trees to be removed at the Ridge Road location and an easement from Saint Petersburg College for drainage adjustments.

Why this matters: The presentation frames the project as a safety and access improvement rather than a capacity expansion to a four‑lane divided roadway. County staff said the three‑lane concept (two through lanes plus a center turn lane) was preferred by many residents in 2007 and helps reduce the severity of crashes and improve pedestrian crossings along a corridor that has sidewalk gaps today.

Design and schedule: Arturo Martinez said the project is at 60% design and that final…