State road safety specialists didn’t need to see the headline in a national online news story in July to know that U.S. 19 in Pasco County is a dangerous place, especially for pedestrians trying to cross the road.⁠ ⁠ What the Vox story titled “Deadliest Road in America” did do was bring awareness and resolve as the Florida Department of Transportation prepares to spend millions of dollars for safety features. ⁠ ⁠ Those include new midblock pedestrian crosswalks, upgraded lighting, delayed green lights for vehicle traffic and other intersection changes.⁠ ⁠ Pasco County commissioners voted unanimously to support a new initiative, midblock crosswalks, to resolve one vexing pedestrian problem. ⁠ ⁠ While motorists might complain that U.S. 19 already has enough stop-and-go with traffic signals, pedestrians could have to walk a half-mile or more to safely cross the road at a crosswalk. ⁠ ⁠ Instead, many try unsafe crossings, which officials want to avoid.⁠ ⁠ Read more about the improvements at the link in our bio. ⁠ ⁠ ✍️ : Barbara Behrendt; 📸 : Times (2018)