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Most Recent Entries
- Water Main Break Still Closing Portion Of U.S. 41
- John’s Pass Channel Closures and Bridge Closures
- Black Friday Shopping Travel Guide
- Thanksgiving Commute Reminders
- FDOT Construction Update - Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties
- SR-54 Public Hearing
- Tampa Airport Interchanges Construction Project Update
- Driving in Fog
- Ironman 70.3 and Its Traffic Impact this Saturday
- November Construction Update
- Hillsborough County Launches County US 301 Construction on Thursday
- Himes Avenue Construction
- Railroad Construction Will Close a Portion of SR-60 in Hillsborough County
- What's Your Tastykake?
- I-75 Construction Closures
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VIDEO: 4th of July Drunk Driving
I would first like to take a moment to thank Ruth and Drew Finn, Travis’s parents, for sharing their story with me and the Tampa community. My sincere and deepest expression of appreciation for their strength to tell Travis’ story with the hope other families might be spared their grief.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 4th of July holiday weekend is the deadliest for drunk driving related crashes, even more so than New Year’s. Furthermore, according to research from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, alcohol-related traffic deaths are at an all time high. 17,941 people nationwide died in 2006, and that number is up by 2.4 percent from 2005. Here in Florida, the latest research from 2005 shows that 1,471 people died in that year as a result of drunk drivers.
Don Murray, Florida’s Executive Director of MADD, says the best defense to prevent drunk driving is to plan ahead:
“The problem frankly is that when you drink, your judgment goes away and you don’t think you are impaired… and once the judgment goes, you feel perfectly content to and confident that your abilities to drive are not impaired. People have to understand that that is the first clue that there’s trouble.”
Don encourages everyone this 4th of July to select a designated driver or chip in for a cab or other form of transportation. For more information on drunk driving related initiatives, legislation, resources and statistics, visit MADD’s website at http://www.madd.org.
The following is a partial list of cab services available throughout the metro Tampa area and its suburbs.
Affordable Taxi (727) 733-3333, 2647 Harbor Cir, Clearwater, FL
Action Cab & Shuttle (727) 845-3090, New Port Richey, FL
United Cab Company (813) 253-2424, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa
Yellow Cab (813) 253-3590, 502 N Oregon Ave, Tampa
A Americab Taxi, (813) 837-4455, 506 N Archer St, Tampa
ABC Taxi (813) 872-8294, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa
Florida Taxi (727) 896-5008, Tampa
Gulf Coast Transportation (813) 251-3107, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa
Cab Plus Incorporated, (813) 250-0990, Hyde Park, Tampa
Tampi Taxi Incorporated, (813) 888-5008, 4105 N Florida Ave, Tampa
United Cab Company (813) 251-6494, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa
Wishing you and your family a safe and relaxing 4th.
Alicia
Okay, so this is not really traffic related, but I just had to share. Earlier this week, News Channel 8 viewer Aimee Montanye sent me the sweetest email (see below) about her son Mason. It made my morning. He is such a cutie pie… just check out the picture. Thanks Aimee and Mason!
Received: June 26, 2007
Subject: Your youngest admirer
Hi Alicia!
I just have to tell you that every time you report the traffic, my 8 month-old son, Mason stops what ever he’s doing, and watches you intently. As soon as you are done, he goes back to playing. It is so funny! I’ve been noticing this for about a month, and I thought you would like to hear that you are my son’s first crush 
Thanks for brightening up our mornings!
Aimee
Warranties ease the burdens of what if. But peace of mind doesn’t always come cheap, especially in the auto world…
Rick Hibbs, Regional Director of the Department of Financial Services, recently sat down me to talk about the pros and pitfalls of extended car warranties.
Experts agree, first and foremost, when purchasing an extended warranty, make sure you thoroughly read through the contract and terms. Before you sign on the dotted line, you should verify if the warranty company is licensed to do business in the state of Florida. Before Rick advises every consumer to “background check” your potential warranty company by calling the Florida Department of Financial Services Consumer Helpline at 1-800-342-2762. This hotline is open Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm. It is a free call.
Additionally, other points you should consider when purchasing an extended warranty include:
• How long you have had and plan to keep your vehicle
• How many miles you drive each year
• Whether you plan to solely lease or eventually buy.
• Bumper to bumper typically does not include wear and tear items
• Don’t be pressured into buying a warranty when you purchase or lease your vehicle, some companies offer this option at a later time.
• A big trend today is online or mail warranty solicitations… while they may be cheaper you have to make sure a company is licensed here in Florida… remember if it sounds to good to be true it probably is.
Ut-oh! Pinellas County drivers, brace yourselves. CSX transportation officials will be conducting another railroad crossing upgrade along a busy stretch of Bryan Dairy Road… and you know what that means… closures.
In fact, beginning Friday, June 29th, Bryan Dairy Road will be shut down at the railroad crossing just west of Belcher Road for a maximum 21 day period. Crews will work around the clock replacing the rail bed to ensure this intersection is safe for commuters.
Projects officials recommend Belcher, Starkey and Ulmerton Roads for alternate routes. Variable message signs will help warn drivers of the closure and detours.
And just like the Mcmullen Booth upgrade earlier this month, officials planned this project after the school year and tourist season to try and reduce the resulting traffic jams. As you’ll recall, that project wrapped up more than a week early, and officials hope to once again complete work on Bryan Dairy Road before or at least on-time.
For more information on the Bryan Dairy Road upgrade, call Pinellas County’s Roadwork Hotline at (727) 453 – 3320 or visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/roadwork.htm.
Mmmm… pancakes are always a yummy way to start your day… and now I have a yummy deal for you! Select Village Inn Restaurants throughout the Bay area are helping to take a “bite” out of gas prices. Beginning today through July 31, 2007, it’s all-you-can-eat pancakes for the price you pay for a gallon of gas. Just show your server your gas receipt.
The offer is available at participating locations only and is not valid with other offers or promotional discounts (including Senior Discount). For gas receipts not stating price per gallon, cost will be the state’s average price for regular gas based on prior week’s data from http://www.gasbuddy.com, Village Inn’s partner in this all-you-can-eat pancake promotion. Minimum price $2.99 per gallon.
The following is a list of participating Florida Village Inn Restaurants: Brandon, Dade City, Jacksonville, Land O’ Lakes, Largo, Neptune Beach, New Port Richey, Orlando (John Young Parkway location only), Riverview, Sarasota, Sebring, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg and Tampa (excluding 30th Street, Hillsborough or Dale Mabry locations).
For more information, visit Village Inn’s website at http://www.villageinnrestaurants.com/promo/gasrelief.html
Pinellas County officials are hoping you’ll see more green the next time you’re driving along their highways thanks to a new technology called smart traffic signals.
And Commissioner Karen Seel has been instrumental in making Pinellas County smart. The Commissioner helped persuade legislators to pass the one-cent gas tax to partially fund the Advanced Traffic Management System and smart traffic signals. These smart signals can be automatically changed by a traffic flow specialist to stay green longer in response to real time road conditions. The goal is to ease jam-ups.
With this technology, drivers are also alerted of incidents and closures on variable message boards.
Currently the smart traffic signals are up and running in Northern Pinellas County including along us 19, Mcmullen Booth Road and Gulf to Bay Boulevard. When the entire 85 million dollar project is complete by 2015, over 200 cameras will make more than 450 signals smart through St. Pete up to the Pasco County Line.
And Commissioner Seel also noted that information received from the cameras will be used for traffic control purposes only and not law enforcement. For more information on the smart traffic signals, visit Pinellas County’s website at http://www.pinellascounty.org. You can also view the cameras live on Pinellas TV 18 during the 7am and 4pm hours.
With summer just about in full swing, kids of all ages grab their bicycles and get out along Bay area roadways. Thanks to Michael Moule, President of Liveable Streets, for all of his safety recommendations.
If you are considering bicycling as your mode of transportation and are ever in need of an emergency ride home, don’t forget about the Emergency Ride Home Program which provides a free taxi ride home from work in the event of illness, unscheduled overtime or a family emergency.
If you have any questions concerning the program or if you would like to enroll, please contact Bay Area Commuter Services at 1-800-998-RIDE (7433).
And for additional cycling resources here in the Tampa area, visit the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s website at http://www.tampasdowntown.com/Default.aspx?S=4&P=3.
YIPPEE!!!! Okay, so it is official, I am a major traffic geek. But I do have to admit I was very excited to hear of the early reopening of McMullen Booth Road. The Pinellas County Public Works Director of Transportation announced Thursday that railroad and roadway repairs have been completed and all lanes of McMullen Booth Road just north of Ruth Eckerd Hall and south of State Road 590 are once again open to traffic.
The early opening was made possible by the following combined factors:
· Favorable weather conditions, in particular lack of electricity-conducting lightning
· Extremely strong cooperation between Pinellas County’s contractor, E.L. Trevena, Inc., the county’s engineering consultant, TBE Group, and CSXT
· Around-the-clock availability of Pinellas County’s contractor
· Pinellas County contractor aid in the movement and placement of the main section of tracks, by supplying CSTX with multiple pieces of heavy equipment and labor
· Extensive coordination and assistance from multiple divisions within Public Works (i.e.) Engineering, Construction Administration, Traffic Engineering, Highway, etc.
· Advanced Traffic Management System/Intelligent Transportation System (ATMS/ITS) utilized on Gulf to Bay and US 19
· Extensive public information campaign that included multiple variable message signs placed at high-traffic intersections and roadways, citizen and business project information mailers and public service announcements
· Monitored traffic flow by Sheriff’s helicopter
· Hired “work train” to accelerate the rail compaction/leveling process
· Coordination with impacted cities and surrounding counties
As you can recall, this road closure began on May 25th and was scheduled to run through 15th.
The Road Rangers are a free service of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). These commuter cowboys patrol I-275, I-75, I-4, the Crosstown and Veteran’s Expressway here in the Bay area. There is also an outfit through Manatee County.
The Road Rangers provide free and reliable roadside assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And these highway heroes stay busy helping as many as 9,000 Florida motorists a month statewide. The Road Rangers clear disabled vehicles from the travel lanes, remove roadway debris and assist the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) during traffic incidents.
If you need assistance from the Road Rangers, dial *347 on your cell phone. Make sure you are in a safe location and not driving while you make the call.
Getting your car ready for emergency weather is an important way to stay safe. PREPARATION IS KEY! Earlier this week, Gregg Laskoski, Managing Director for AAA Auto Club South, went shopping with me to help me prepare for my first hurricane season. Below is a complete list of Gregg’s recommendations from AAA. And remember, driving in bad weather should only be a last resort. Gregg reminds us that just a few inches of water can carry a car away and causing dangerous hydroplaning.
And for more information on any AAA services, visit http://www.aaasouth.com/insurance.asp?insProd=flood.
Here is a list of useful supplies to consider:
http://www.aaasouth.com/documents/emergency_supplies.pdf.
A complete Disaster Preparedness Guide is contained here:
http://www.aaasouth.com/disaster_preparedness_guide.asp.
This is the link for Florida’s evacuation routes:
http://www.floridadisaster.org/PublicMapping/index.htm.
Video: Google Directions On Phones
Compliments of the ever popular online search engine Google, a lesser-known directory assistance is available over your phone… one that can provide text messaging directions to you.. and the best part… it’s free.
Here is how it works. First, using your cell phone, send a text message to “46645” or “google” without the last “e”. In the body of the text type the starting point of your trip as specifically as possible. If you are unfamilar with your location, choose the nearest house or business address. Then type “to” followed by your ending point. For example, we entered our randomly choosen house address, then typed “to” and the address for our news station.
In just under two minutes google replied with a text message that included detailed directions, mileage and an estimated travel time. We followed the route successfully back to our station.
And if you want to text Google for directions, here are a couple of tips:
- First, to avoid confusion use a specific house or business address including the city and state or a major point of interest you are familiar with such as “200 S Parker St Tampa to Tampa Airport”.
Secondly, in several of our tries, the directions were a bit lengthy and required multiple text messages. The messages are labeled, for example 1/4 or 2/4, but they were not always received in order… so make sure you are reading the correct one.
This free Google service also offers a variety of other information over your phone including airline information, currency and language translations and movie listings. Below are list of suggested formats for various information:
Search Features - Example
Local Listings - sushi 94040
Weather - weather NYC
flight updates - LH454 or AA 2111
Airline information - lakers
Movies - the departed 94110
Stock Quotes - tgt
Glossary - define zenith
Translation - translate hello in french
Driving Directions - pasadena CA to 94043
Web Snippets - g hubble telescope
Q&A - abraham lincoln birthday
Calculator - 1 US pint in liters
Currency Conversion - 8 usd in yen
Should toll roads be used to combat congestion here in the Bay area? Post your thoughts now!
Several of you wrote wanting to know more information about the McMullen Booth Railroad Construction. Thanks Mahshid Arasteh, Director of the Pinellas County Public Works, for the additional information.
Most of the work occurring in the first phase of construction (which will shut down McMullen Booth Road) is operated by CSXT. Over the initial three weeks of the project, the old railbeds and rails will be removed and replaced. Two temporary lanes will be constructed by the County contractor, who will be working around the clock to “fast-track” this phase as much as possible.
CSXT has informed Pinellas County officials that the rail has to be replaced in one piece so partial closure of the roadway was not an option. Also, the rail bed has to be compacted by rail cars passing over the rails. Pinellas County has hired a “work train” so that crews do not have to wait for the normal train activity which would have added more time to the closure.
This repair was scheduled for 2002 but was delayed to allow time for the construction work on the US-19 overpasses. Officials further note that at this time, the rails are loose from wear and tear and the work can not be postponed any longer.
Safe travels.
Alicia
Fox 13’s Chris Field, Marti Ryan, Alicia Roberts
Special thanks to Marti Ryan and everyone from the Hillsborough County Animal Services on Falkenburg Road for welcoming me yesterday to Foster Mom Monday. Lots of really sweet animals need a loving home and some TLC for a few weeks until they are old enough to be permanently adopted. If you are interested in fostering a special kitten or puppy, call HCAS at 813.744.5660. And if you need a little more convincing about adoption, check out the above video ... 5 of the 8 puppies in this litter need a home. So darling!
Get your hard hats ready to go… CSX construction crews have already begun preliminary preparations for their railroad road repairs along McMullen Booth Rd. The bad news is that officials will be CLOSING McMullen Booth Road in both directions between SR-580 and Drew Street beginning Friday evening, May 25th, for approximately 2-3 weeks. Southbound traffic is recommended to use SR-580 to US-19 as a detour. Northbound traffic should follow Drew Street to US-19. As you well know, this is going to cause major delays in the area, so officials warn to leave extra time to get around. For more information you can call the Pinellas County Public Works Department at (727) 453 - 3320. Calls made to the Information line will be returned by a Pinellas County Construction Representative during regular business hours.
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