Tag: Tim Wronka

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — An ongoing lane closure in Pinellas County is frustrating drivers on a busy road.

Curlew Road eastbound now has reduced lanes between Countryside Boulevard and Tampa Road — which is a major east-west connection in north Pinellas County.

According to FDOT, at least one lane is now closed 24 hours a day for a drainage project there.

Nicky Folven commutes on Curlew Road daily and says the one lane being closed has caused lots of delays, especially at McMullen Booth Road during rush hour.

“There’s a lot of people trying to turn left to McMullen Booth. So there’s really only one lane that can get through. Because both sides are backed up,” Folven said.

The lane closure extends from there to Curlew’s merge with Tampa Road — causing backups for drivers at all hours.

“After school, on the weekends, just that lane being shut down. It’s a lot of people trying to get into two lanes,” Folven said.

So she’s hoping that the work is done soon to help traffic flow through the area better.

“I know it’s like a minor inconvenience but I guess my concerns are more with the length of time this has been closed down,” Folven said.

According to the FDOT, the $10.8 million project is set to be completed in the fall of 2026.

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — As traffic gets busier on Tampa Road, an East Lake Woodlands resident is worried about safety there, with drivers speeding and making left turns across multiple lanes.

David Zinther asked Real Time Traffic Expert Tim Wronka about the stretch of Tampa Road between East Lake Road and Curlew Road.

He says he often hears crashes there from his home in East Lake Woodlands.

“We’ll be out on the lanai. The breaks squeal. And you hear the boom. And then you’ll hear the sirens. And you just hope that no one is seriously injured,” Zinther said.

Zinther has lived in East Lake Woodlands for the past eight years, where he has become more concerned about the traffic on Tampa Road, especially at the entrance and exit to his community.

“When the light changes, it’s like a drag strip when they’re going east on Tampa Road. The motorcycles, the cars with the loud mufflers. You can just tell they’re punching it,” Zinther said.

And he says that speeding is an issue affecting other drivers trying to make a left turn into the community or the AMC movie theater on the other side of the road.

He feels that’s when those crashes that he hears at home tend to happen.

“Again, trying to go across three lanes of traffic with cars that are clearly going more than the speed limit,” Zinther said.”And they’re taking their life in their hands. They get impatient and think they can make it but they don’t make it.”

Zinther would like to see more patrols and possibly even a change to the traffic light at Tampa Road and Woodlands Parkway to make it a left turn only signal.

Even though Tampa Road is a state road, the Florida Department of Transportation says that stretch is managed by Pinellas County. County officials are now looking into the intersection.

Drivers are also asked to watch their speed through that area.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Palm Harbor residents are wondering why large potholes near several businesses and homes have never been repaired.

The potholes are on a small road off U.S. 19 and CR-95, behind the old Sweet Tomatoes restaurant.

“Just the worst I’ve seen here in Palm Harbor,” said neighbor Avis Milton.

Milton lives near the road with the holes and often walks and drives by them.

“You get over one pothole, then you get up on another one. You don’t expect it,” Milton said.

She says the holes have been an issue for years and have become bigger. But recently, more traffic is using the side road to avoid the ongoing construction on U.S. 19.

“A lot of us use this back road because of U.S. 19, and with the congestion and the construction going on. So probably now there is a lot more traffic coming through here,” Milton said.

Because the road connects to several businesses and the Stone Gate Apartment complex, Milton would like to see the potholes finally repaired.

Pinellas County confirmed to Spectrum Bay News 9 that the road is on private property. Officials say they typically don’t tell property owners to repair roads — and that public use of the road is at the owner’s discretion.

Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to the property owner but did not receive a response. Property records show it has changed hands in recent years.

“You can tell just by looking at the coloring of the road that it’s been years or decades since it’s been paved. Even if it is a private owner, just fill in the pothole. Just fill in those. Put some gravel in there or something.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There’s a lane closure in a busy area of downtown St. Petersburg that drivers have been dealing with for months – but they aren’t sure what the closure is for.

A middle lane is closed on 5th Ave South between 4th and 3rd streets, right near St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Church employee Michelle Rego reached out to Real Time Traffic Expert Tim Wronka about the lane closure, which she says has been there since March.

“This has been up since then and there’s no apparent construction. And there’s no apparent workers here. There’s no apparent sinkhole or any reason for these to be up that you can see with the naked eye,” Rego said.

Rego has worked at the church for the past 15 years and says the growth in the area has already made traffic busier.

She says that just one lane being closed can create a lot of problems for drivers, especially those coming off of the interstate into downtown St. Pete.

“It makes it impossible, especially at those rush hour times. And if you want to make the left turn and negotiate your way all the way to the left lane, it’s next to impossible,” Rego said.

It turns out there is a reason for the closure.

FDOT officials say it’s for a box culvert repair, which is used to move water under the road. Work is expected to continue this week and the lane should reopen soon.

That’s welcome news to Rego, who had been wondering why the lane was closed.

“It seems weird,” Rego said. “I’m a religious watcher of Traffic Inbox and Bay News 9 in the morning. So I see it every day and think this may be something to ask Tim about.”

If there’s a traffic issue in your neighborhood, let Tim know! https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/traffic/inbox

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Residents in a Pinellas County neighborhood are concerned about an ongoing road closure they say makes it hard for first responders to get through.

The project is on Whitney Road at Wolford Road in unincorporated Pinellas. Whitney Road closed late last year to through traffic for an improvement project.

Neighbor Perry Goosie says he has had to take the detour every time he leaves home.

“It’s usually 13-20 minutes around the closure,” Goosie said.

Since the project started in December, he has had an ongoing worry.

“My concern is for the people in my neighborhood. I’m 76 years old and everyone over there is older. If something happens, if there is an emergency, it takes an extra 13 to 20 minutes, to get around this closure,” Goosie said.

Largo Fire Station 40 is right at the start of the closure. Firefighters have told Goosie that the roadblock does send them out of their way.

“If your house is on fire, that’s extra time that your house is burning. How much worse can it get?” Goosie said.

Nearly a year later, he feels enough work has been done that part of the road could now be opened.

Pinellas County officials say the project is for roadway, drainage, sidewalk and safety improvements, currently set to be done next fall.

“I know this needed to be done. But it’s just aggravating when it takes so long,” Goosie said.

So he’s hoping the county considers opening at least part of the road before a potential emergency.

“At least at the minimum, make it so that the fire department can get through for emergency services without a problem,” Goosie said.

Pinellas County officials didn’t say if the road would reopen soon. But they say that emergency services are continuously notified of closures.

For more information on closures and the project, visit the Pinellas County website.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Clearwater father is worried for the safety of his son because drivers on a busy road aren’t stopping for the bus.

Jonathan Sharp walks his son Oliver to a bus stop on Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Thornton Road each morning, near the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

“On the walk to the bus stop, it’s pretty peaceful,” Oliver said. “But then when we get on the sidewalk, it pretty much makes me feel unsafe.”

Cars zip just feet away on Gulf to Bay as Oliver and his dad wait for the bus.  

But it’s what happens when the bus arrives that has Sharp very concerned: Drivers not stopping for the bus.

“We watch cars every day. I’ve had to scream and yell at traffic and wave my arms and flail around to try and get traffic to recognize that they have to stop in both directions,” Sharp said.

He says sometimes even drivers on the same side of the road don’t see the bus.

“People won’t care. They’ll come out and it’s almost like they’re confused. They’ll slow down for the bus or just drive right by. Other people are going way over 45 MPH,” Sharp said.

According to state law, drivers on both sides of Gulf to Bay Boulevard should stop because there is no physical barrier between the two directions.

Clearwater Police Department officials say they have targeted this area several times since school started with patrols and will continue to do so.

Sharp is grateful for that — but he wants to remind drivers to always watch out for buses and students.

“It’s not up to them to post officers here every day. It’s up to the residents to go ahead and follow the state law,” Sharp said.

Police also say they are working with the city and school system on making this location safer, including possibly moving the bus stop. Pinellas County Schools said they would have someone from their safety team at the stop this week.