The City of Gulfport has been addressing a traffic problem at the terminus of 49th Street South, which occurs at a T-intersection with all-way stop signs. Directly south of the intersection is a small parking lot for the Golden Sands condominium complex and bordering that is a seawall adjacent to Boca Ciega Bay. Within this final 50-foot area, since early 2018 at least two drivers have gone through the 49th Street South stop sign at speeds of about 70 mph to launch their vehicles into the water. Recently, palm trees have been planted near the seawall to make it look like the road does not continue on through, said Public Works Director Tom Nicholls. The standard 30-inch stop sign was also increased to a 36-inch model with a flashing red light on top. Before the end of September, two 20-mph speed tables will be installed across the width of the short length of street between 29th and 31st avenues south. “I don’t see speeds getting much over 20-25 mph between the devices,” he said. Pinellas County helped the city do a speed study prior to the improvements and will do a follow-up after the speed tables are installed. In the future, depending on need, there may also be something like median islands with landscaping installed between 22nd and 28th avenues south to further “soften the look” of the street, said Nicholls. “This is something we’ll have to coordinate with the City of St. Petersburg on because half of the roadway in that particular area is theirs.”
