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Officials build Pinellas pedestrian overpass to prevent pedestrian, bicyclist crashes

By
Published  June 4, 2025 9:59pm EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News
Project to help cut down on pedestrian crashes

Project to help cut down on pedestrian crashes

Briona Arradondo reports.

The Brief

    • Pinellas County and the Florida Department of Transportation are building a pedestrian overpass near the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
    • It offers a way to be proactive and prevent future crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
    • The pedestrian overpass at State Road 60 and Bayshore Boulevard will cost $15.3 million, adding in crosswalks, traffic signals and other warning signs.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Locals love to walk, run, bike and rollerblade along Pinellas County’s trails, but the county also has a higher number of crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

"We are overrepresented. There are more pedestrian crashes than there should be. Our goal, like the state, is zero, and we’re working hard to achieve that," said active transportation planner Kyle Simpson of Forward Pinellas.

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What we know:

The pedestrian overpass will cover over State Road 60 from Bayshore, and it will tee on the southern end of SR 60, allowing people to either go east to Hillsborough County or west to connect into the businesses that are further west on State Road 60, Simpson said.

"Right now, people accessing the trail have to cross at a traffic light. So, it’s a lot of delay if you’re waiting, if you’re walking, running, biking and you have to wait for a long time to get a walk signal," said Simpson.

Why you should care:

Forward Pinellas tracks serious injury crashes with pedestrians or bicycles. In 2021, there were 185 crashes, then it went down to 129 in 2022 and back up to 154 in 2023, according to Pinellas County data from Forward Pinellas.

READ: Clearwater City Council voting Thursday on more possible repairs to Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach

"On the Pinellas trail, we’ve seen a 50% increase in usage and that’s sustained since 2020, so we know there are more people walking, biking and driving," said Simpson. "As more people move here, as more people get out and discover the great trail network we have, we want to make sure we provide those safe connections."

Timeline:

The project started in January 2025, and FDOT expects the project should wrap up by late 2026.

The Source: The information in this sory was provided by Forward Pinellas and the Florida Department of Transportation. 

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