Unfortunately, the DOT said the intersection doesn’t qualify for a traffic signal under the state’s strict warrant guidelines.

As an intermediate solution, the DOT put in a crosswalk with flashing lights, a refuge median between the lanes where bicyclists and pedestrians can pause between traffic lanes and overhead lighting to make the intersection safer for bicyclists and pedestrians at night.

But residents say the improvements aren’t sufficient and have made additional improvements a priority in the Downtown Palm Harbor Master Plan.

The popular Fred E. Marquis Pinellas Trail, which extends the entire length of Pinellas County, runs parallel to Alternate 19 and serves as a regional connector to downtown Palm Harbor as well as community amenities like Pop Stansell Park and the Sunderman Complex.

At a workshop Nov. 4, DOT design project manager Craig Fox said the state is considering two alternatives to improve safety.

While Alternate U.S. 19 and Florida Avenue doesn’t meet the criteria for a four-way signal, the intersection of Nebraska Avenue and Alternate U.S. 19 less than a mile away does.

The signal would provide a break in traffic allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross at Florida Avenue.

However, Fox said the DOT favors the roundabout alternative.

Long-used in Europe, roundabouts are a circular road with a center island that drivers enter from multiple roads, driving through the roundabout in a counterclockwise direction.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the curvature of a roundabout prevents vehicles from driving faster than 15 to 25 mph and have been shown to reduce crashes in which people are seriously hurt or killed by 78 to 82 percent.

Hillsborough County was sold on the idea after installing three roundabouts on an accident-prone section of 40th Street between Busch Boulevard and Hillsborough Avenue in 2014.

Between 2005-09, there were 2.4 pedestrian accidents and 0.8 bicycle accidents a year. After the roundabouts were installed, there were no pedestrian and bicyclist accidents.

At the same time, studies show that roundabouts improve traffic flow. Plus the center island offers communities an opportunity for beautification, one of the missions of the DOT’s ongoing Alternate U.S. 19 Corridor Study. Palm Harbor could conceivably relocate existing roadway sculptures to the center island and add waymarkers, creating a new gateway into Palm Harbor.

“Roundabouts can provide lasting benefits and value in many ways,” said Jeffrey Shaw of the FHWA. “They are often safer, more efficient, less costly and more aesthetically appealing than conventional intersection designs. Furthermore, roundabouts are an excellent choice to complement other transportation objectives – including Complete Streets, multimodal networks, and corridor access management – without compromising the ability to keep people and freight moving through our towns…”

In a 2015 survey conducted by the county, the majority of residents favored putting in a roundabout.

If residents opt for a roundabout, the DOT will install new crosswalks and shift the Pinellas Trail slightly to the west to accommodate circumference of the traffic circle.

For more information, call 727-742-7602.