Construction Underway to Alleviate U.S. 19 Drainage Problems

Construction crews have been working the past few weeks to alleviate drainage problems on a stretch of U.S. 19 between County Road 95 and Tampa Road. You may have seen crews working on the side of the road where the northbound lane is closed just north of the Sweet Tomatoes restaurant.

When we have bouts of heavy rain, the rainwater flows off U.S. 19 and washes away the soil underneath the sidewalk on the western side of the road before draining into an undeveloped lot. 

A Florida Department of Transportation supervisor working at the site says crews have constructed concrete spillways underneath the sidewalk and installed larger box drain to prevent erosion and help funnel the water to the undeveloped lot. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

The lot is at the corner of U.S. 19 and CR 95. The property is owned by the county and is undeveloped because of a sinkhole. The area experienced flooding problems last year when Tropical Storm Sandy moved through Palm Harbor. CR 95 was flooded along with the nearby Wedgewood condo complex.

The flooding issues were the combination of an unusually large amount of rain water brought by the storm that had no place to drain. Nearby pumps were also malfunctioning which contributed to the flooding. When working properly, the pumps help move water off roadways but can not prevent flooding, according to a spokesperson with the Pinellas County Department of Environment and Infrastructure.

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