For the first time, drivers could soon see buses riding beside them on the Interstate 275 shoulder in Pinellas County.
The Florida Department of Transportation plans to launch a pilot project that would allow Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority buses to use the shoulder along a 5-mile stretch of I-275 — from Fifth Avenue North to Gandy Boulevard — during rush hour, according to multiple reports.
As part of the project, buses are permitted to drive on the shoulder when traffic slows to 35 miles per hour or less. But they won’t go faster than 15 miles per hour above the speed of traffic.
Some work will be done on the shoulder before the buses are ready to roll. FDOT, which has set aside $2.5 million for the project, must ensure the 5-mile stretch is at least 12 feet wide — and sturdy. The department may also need to relocate the shoulder’s rumble strips.
FDOT aims to begin shoulder construction in fall, ABC Action News reports, with the pilot project underway by 2020.
This kind of project hasn’t been done in the Sunshine State before. However, other locales like Chicago and Kansas City already let their buses use the shoulder.
In addition, ABC Action News says that PSTA hopes the move increases ridership, giving commuters the opportunity to bypass heavy rush-hour traffic.
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This article appears in Feb 21-28, 2019.