Pinellas County details Phase 3 plan to widen Forest Lakes Boulevard, add shared-use path

Pinellas County officials outlined design and schedule details for Phase 3 of the Forest Lakes Boulevard Roadway Improvements Project at a virtual public information meeting, proposing to widen the corridor between Tampa Road and State Road 580, add pedestrian and bicycle facilities and make drainage and utility upgrades.

“This project represents the third and final phase of a project that will widen Forest Lakes Boulevard from Race Track Road to State Road 580,” said Mona Gabriel, capital improvements division director for Pinellas County, introducing the meeting. Consultant project manager Brian Anderson of WSP said the county completed a preliminary engineering report in 2023 and is now in the design phase.

County staff said the project responds to projected traffic growth and pedestrian demand. The preliminary engineering report (PER) found a projected 40% increase in traffic from current levels and documented five years of crash data (Feb. 2015–Feb. 2019) showing 349 vehicle crashes and 10 pedestrian or bicyclist crashes with no fatalities in that period.

Under the proposed concept, Forest Lakes Boulevard would be widened from two lanes to four lanes with a center two-way left-turn lane. Outside travel lanes would be 11 feet, the inside travel…