RIVERVIEW, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is currently making some improvements at U.S. 301 and Bloomingdale Avenue and drivers are hopeful it, in addition to future work, will make the busy Riverview intersection safer.
On its website, FDOT refers to the current project as phase one. According to spokesperson Kristen Carson, the department’s Traffic Operations group plans to conduct a pedestrian study of the area after the work wraps up in early 2023.
As Riverview grows, so has the traffic at U.S. 301 and Bloomingdale Avenue. Travis Myers, who drives through the intersection almost daily, said the change is easily noticeable.
“Everything has just like exploded, you know, in the last few years,” he said.
Right now, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is making a roughly $21 million upgrade in the area. It’s repaving U.S. 301 between Lake St. Charles Blvd. and Bloomingdale/Progress Blvd., adding a sidewalk on the east side of U.S. 301 in the vicinity, and widening the on-ramp onto I-75 northbound.
Myers, however, wrote the ABC Action News Driving Tampa Bay Forward tip line expressing a concern — he wants other improvements in the area focused on safety because there’s a school, BridgePrep Academy, just a short walk from the intersection.
“School zones, you know, at least lights that say, ‘Hey, this is a school area — watch out for pedestrians, watch out for school kids going in and out of the area,’” he recommended. “You see there’s that 56th Street where King High School is at. They don’t have a reduced speed there, but they have lights and signs saying that you are in a school zone there. There’s a potential for pedestrians there.”
FDOT said its understanding is that no students walk to BridgePrep in Riverview. Still, Myers said driving in and out of the school is oftentimes tricky too.
“Anything could happen there. That’s a very busy intersection,” he said. “You’ve got to definitely keep your eyes on the road and be mindful of everything that’s around you, you know. Because it is — it’s very busy there, you know, especially now with the construction that’s going on too. It’s a little tight through there too now.”
They’re reasons why he hopes the current work is just the start.
