DOVER, Fla. — Initial plans are now in the works to make a McIntosh Road in Dover safer for drivers and pedestrians.
McIntosh Road in Dover has a record of crashes and FDOT says the problem stems in part from where drivers are getting on and off I-4.
The project area spans just over one mile, starting south of U.S. 92 to north of I-4.
Wednesday, Hillsborough County transportation leaders are looking at the very initial plans to widen McIntosh Road and make other safety changes.
Hillsborough TPO staffwill review the project with respect to the Tampa and Hillsborough Comprehensive Plan and TPO studies and provide comments including those from the Livable Roadways Committee.
According to FDOT's Project Development and Environment Study, the project is needed to support area connectivity and provide a connection between US 92 and I-4, which are both Florida Division of Emergency Management designated evacuation routes that have high volumes of truck capacity. US 92 is a major east-west facility that spans the entire state and provides relief for I-4.
Project upgrades would also add new bike lanes and sidewalks as well as "operational improvements" at the I-4 interchange, according to the study.
The project area also has a higher than average crash rate compared to other similar roadway areas across the state. The historic average crash rate (10.23) for this segment of McIntosh Road was considerably higher than the statewide average (0.69) for similar facility types, according to the study.
Between 2015 and 2019, the total number of crashes in this area was 175, with more than 50 of them being rear-end crashes. Left-turn lane crashes were the next most common type of crash here.
FDOT reports that one reason behind the higher-than-average crash rate could be because of how the I-4 on and off-ramps at McIntosh are currently designed. There are also multiple merge areas within the vicinity of these ramps, according to the study.
FDOT is currently looking for comments and feedback from other state agencies, such as Hillsborough TPO, before moving forward with the design process for the upgrades.
