People driving, biking or walking along West Cleveland Street in Tampa will notice some major changes along the roadway.
The one-way street has reduced its driving lanes from three to two on a large portion, while adding a biking lane and 80 new parking spaces.
Brandon Campbell, Tampa's director of transportation services, said the main goal is safety.
“I would say the biggest one that we could see there is a reduction in crashes," Campbell said. "We had about 100 crashes in a 2½-year period through that corridor."
West Cleveland is on the city's High Injury Network, which are roadways that have had the most crashes in recent years.
Campbell said the vehicle capacity for West Cleveland was far more than the demand, meaning reducing the driving lanes wouldn't congest traffic.
"This one seemed like an easy win, because we could accommodate other needs without really sacrificing meeting the need of the drivers that go through there," Campbell said.
Campbell said another goal is to activate West Cleveland as a solid way to travel in ways other than driving.
It will also boast the city's first "protected intersection," which physically separates bicyclists from drivers with a concrete island, and makes them easier for drivers to see.
The project is primarily complete, with minor adjustments being made over the next few weeks.
Overall, the hope is that it will seamlessly connect to the West River Multimodal Network Improvement Project. It’s a roughly $57 million project that will complete the gaps on the 12-mile multi-use pathway, and install safer street-crossing features along some of the main roadways.
It’ll also improve several of the surrounding streets, with better constructed sidewalks, bike pathways, and more throughout Hyde Park, West Tampa, and other surrounding neighborhoods.
