ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 There\u2019s a lane closure in a busy area of downtown St. Petersburg that drivers have been dealing with for months \u2013 but they aren\u2019t sure what the closure is for.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
A middle lane is closed on 5th\u00a0Ave South between 4th and 3rd streets in downtown St. Pete\u00a0
\n
Drivers say it’s been closed for months, but they weren’t sure why\u00a0
\n
FDOT officials now say its for a box culvert repair\u00a0<\/p>\n
A middle lane is closed on 5th\u00a0Ave South between 4th and 3rd streets, right near St. Mary\u2019s Catholic Church.<\/p>\n
Church employee Michelle Rego reached out to Real Time Traffic Expert Tim Wronka about the lane closure, which she says has been there since March.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been up since then and there\u2019s no apparent construction. And there\u2019s no apparent workers here. There\u2019s no apparent sinkhole or any reason for these to be up that you can see with the naked eye,\u201d Rego said.<\/p>\n
Rego has worked at the church for the past 15 years and says the growth in the area has already made traffic busier.<\/p>\n
She says that just one lane being closed can create a lot of problems for drivers, especially those coming off of the interstate into downtown St. Pete.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes it impossible, especially at those rush hour times. And if you want to make the left turn and negotiate your way all the way to the left lane, it\u2019s next to impossible,\u201d Rego said.<\/p>\n
It turns out there is a reason for the closure.<\/p>\n
FDOT officials say it’s for a box culvert repair, which is used to move water under the road. Work is expected to continue this week and the lane should reopen soon.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s welcome news to Rego, who had been wondering why the lane was closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems weird,\u201d Rego said. \u201cI\u2019m a religious watcher of Traffic Inbox and Bay News 9 in the morning. So I see it every day and think this may be something to ask Tim about.\u201d<\/p>\n