PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Neighbors living off Keystone Road are demanding answers from county officials on why a major road safety improvement project has stalled.
Keystone Road in Pinellas County is the site of a big project aimed at making the road safer but also the cause of one family’s headache.
“It’s very frustrating. We feel abandoned and forgotten," said Sharon Escalera who lives off Keystone.
The project is designed to resurfacing Keystone Road and in the process adding a shoulder, vibrating strips and safety edges — the county’s first.
“That’s good they are doing safety precautions—safety improvements. That’s fantastic," said Escalera.
But her problems stem from the fact the project was supposed to be done by May.
“You see the equipment, you see the tools, you see the soil that they are going to start working and then nothing happens," she said.
Her family was so frustrated they emailed ABC Action News for help. We contacted Pinellas County Public Works and got some answers. The county confirmed a “slight delay."
“If I don’t pay my bills in six months is that a ‘slight delay’?” Escalera asked.
Public Works says it comes down to two reasons. First, they have to extend four different drainage pipe crossing Keystone. However, they ran into wet, swampy ground that doesn't provide stability to set the pipe.
Second, they added to the project. Keystone was just resurfaced and the county decided to also resurface side streets so that they would tie in seamlessly with new Keystone pavement. They add that the project is about 95 percent completed.
“Is it going to be two more years?” asked Escalera of the news.
Public Works says planned completion is by the end of November. A timeline Escalera is skeptical will happen.
