U-Turn Coming to East Lake Rd.; Residents Want Light

A new U-turn lane is coming to East Lake Road at Trinity Boulevard in an effort to make things safer for motorists who live in nearby Crescent Oaks, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The traffic improvements will make it easier for drivers headed north on East Lake Road to turn around and head south. That includes Crescent Lakes residents, who currently need to cross two lanes of traffic as they exit their community from Crescent Oaks Boulevard to turn left across East Lake Road and head south, the Times reports.

Residents, however, had hoped for a traffic light at their community's exit, and have at least twice requested that one be installed at the intersection. The first time, in 2006, county commissioners and residents couldn't come to agreement on who would foot the bill for the project, the Times reports.

Earlier this year, county officials denied another request for a light following several accidents at that spot, saying it would interrupt traffic on East Lake and create "a higher crash potential than they're experiencing right now," according to the Times' story.

Construction work for the U-turn is scheduled to being Dec. 3 and should last for about a month, the newspaper reports.

Read more in the Times' story.

Will putting a U-turn at this location make driving safer? Is a traffic light needed? Post a comment below to weigh in.