The Pinellas Metropolitan Planning Organization/Pinellas Planning Council is holding listening sessions for area residents to share their concerns and comments.

PINELLAS COUNTY – Residents and business owners who have comments and thoughts about U.S. 19 will have a chance to let Pinellas County officials know what they think at listening sessions on Monday (April 11).

The two sessions, one for northern Pinellas and the other for southern, are the first two huddles in a four-meeting schedule to kick off the MPO/PPC’s “SPOTlight Initiative.”  The other two meetings, to be held in May, will cover beach access and the Gateway area. The meeting topics reflect the goals of the SPOTlight Initiative, which called for the agency to focus its attention on three emphasis areas that include the U.S. 19 corridor, mid-county Gateway area, and Gulf beach access.

The purpose of the sessions is to provide an opportunity for people to share their concerns and comments about these areas as they relate to land use and transportation issues and needs. The sessions are open to the public.

The northern U.S. 19 session is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday (April 11) at the St. Petersburg College Clearwater Campus, Room ES 104, 2465 Drew St. The session covering the southern section of U.S. 19 is set for 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday (April 11) at the St. Petersburg College Allstate Center campus, DeSoto Room, 3200 34th St. S.

The MPO was created in 1977 after the passage of the Federal Highway Act of 1974. The task of the MPO is to develop plans, policies and priorities that guide local decision making on transportation issues. Principal responsibilities include the development of a 20-year long-range transportation plan, a five-year transportation improvement program, a two-year unified planning work program and related transportation planning studies and projects.

The MPO seeks to improve transportation in the county for all principal modes of travel, including mass transit, walking, and bicycling, as well as automobile. The MPO prioritizes capital improvements to address the county’s travel needs and allocates federal funding to implement the projects as identified in the TIP and the LRTP.

For information about the MPO, go to pinellascounty.org.

Pinellas County | U.S. 19 | MPO | PPC | MPO/PPC | TB Reporter

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