PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Residents in a Pinellas County neighborhood are concerned about an ongoing road closure they say makes it hard for first responders to get through.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Whitney Road has been closed at Wolford Road for nearly a year in unincorporated Pinellas
Neighbors have some concerns about firefighters responding to emergencies from a nearby fire station
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The project is for roadway, drainage, sidewalk and safety improvements, currently set to be done next fall<\/p>\n
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The project is on Whitney Road at Wolford Road in unincorporated Pinellas. Whitney Road closed late last year to through traffic for an improvement project.<\/p>\n
Neighbor Perry Goosie says he has had to take the detour every time he leaves home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s usually 13-20 minutes around the closure,\u201d Goosie said.<\/p>\n
Since the project started in December, he has had an ongoing worry.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy concern is for the people in my neighborhood. I\u2019m 76 years old and everyone over there is older. If something happens, if there is an emergency, it takes an extra 13 to 20 minutes, to get around this closure,\u201d Goosie said.<\/p>\n
Largo Fire Station 40 is right at the start of the closure. Firefighters have told Goosie that the roadblock does send them out of their way.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your house is on fire, that\u2019s extra time that your house is burning. How much worse can it get?\u201d Goosie said.<\/p>\n
Nearly a year later, he feels enough work has been done that part of the road could now be opened.<\/p>\n
Pinellas County officials say the project is for roadway, drainage, sidewalk and safety improvements, currently set to be done next fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this needed to be done. But it\u2019s just aggravating when it takes so long,\u201d Goosie said.<\/p>\n
So he\u2019s hoping the county considers opening at least part of the road before a potential emergency.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least at the minimum, make it so that the fire department can get through for emergency services without a problem,\u201d Goosie said.<\/p>\n
Pinellas County officials didn\u2019t say if the road would reopen soon. But they say that emergency services are continuously notified of closures.<\/p>\n