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Intersections To Get Friendlier For Pedestrians

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 6, 2008

BRANDON - Pedestrians soon will have an easier time walking the walk at a couple of Brandon intersections.

Hillsborough County is beginning construction this week to make two busy intersections a bit friendlier for pedestrians. Crews will install a traffic light with a pedestrian button, crosswalks and sidewalk ramps where Kings Avenue meets Victoria Street and Providence Lakes Road at a cost of $300,000 per intersection.

County spokesman Steve Valdez said the improvements are part of an initiative to improve pedestrian safety and efficiency at busy intersections, especially those used by people walking to schools, bus stops or parks.

"The lights will be hooked in and sequenced with existing lights to make sure we get as efficient a flow of traffic as possible," Valdez said.

The intersection of Kings and Victoria has been a particular bone of contention with residents. People living in the area have been demanding safety improvements since 15-year-old Brandon High School student Camden Allen White was struck and killed by a car crossing Victoria Street at Meade Road, just west of Kings, on his way to school Dec. 4, 2006.

A light is needed at Providence Lakes and Kings because the intersection is just north of J.C. Handly Park and Kingswood Elementary School at the entrance to an apartment complex, Valdez said.

Construction will continue through Dec. 31, but Valdez said drivers shouldn't experience too much inconvenience. Road closures will be mostly intermittent.

Brandon motorists can expect a number of road projects in the months ahead as part of an initiative by the Hillsborough County Transportation Task Force, headed by Commissioner Ken Hagan.

In May 2007, the task force recommended spending more than $500 million over the next five years for transportation improvements, with an emphasis on roads and intersections. Although opponents said the money would be better spent on light rail, commissioners approved the task force's recommendation with funding from the half-cent Community Investment Tax approved by voters in 1996 for transportation improvements.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

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