Lealman Safe-Routes Work Continues Through Fall 2026
Construction is continuing on the Lealman segment of Pinellas County’s Safe Routes to School program, with the county listing work through fall 2026.
The project is in unincorporated Pinellas County in the St. Petersburg area, rather than within the City of St. Petersburg’s municipal transportation program. The county’s project page was updated July 21, 2026, and lists construction as in progress.
Exact location and schedule
The Lealman segment covers 28th Street from 40th Avenue to Grove Park Avenue. Pinellas County lists the construction period as spring 2026 through fall 2026.
The county has not posted a precise completion date. The fall window is therefore an anticipated schedule, not a guarantee that all work will be finished by a specific day.
What the program is designed to do
Pinellas County says the Safe Routes to School program is intended to increase the number of children who walk or bicycle to school by making routes to K-8 schools in unincorporated Pinellas County easier and safer to use.
The county says it is prioritizing sidewalk segments that close gaps, improve network connectivity and are near schools, bus stops and parks. The project page describes the planned purpose and scope; it does not claim that the Lealman work has already produced measured safety results.
What residents should expect
The listed project segment gives families, walkers and bicyclists a specific area to monitor: 28th Street between 40th Avenue and Grove Park Avenue. The county page does not state that particular schools, sidewalks, crossings or travel lanes are currently closed as part of the Lealman segment.
Residents and drivers should check current county notices for active work conditions or route changes before traveling through the area. A project listing alone does not establish that the entire road is closed or that a detour is in effect.
Funding and county oversight
Pinellas County says the Safe Routes to School project is supported by federal award SLFRP4653, awarded to Pinellas County Government by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Joan Rice, a Pinellas County Public Works and Transportation project manager, is listed as the contact for the Lealman segment. The county lists her office phone as 727-464-8610 and her county email address on the project page.
Separate transportation work in the St. Petersburg area
Another county project, 71st Street North Roadway Improvements, is separate from the Lealman Safe Routes work. It covers 71st Street North between 38th Avenue North and 54th Avenue North and is listed as under construction.
The county says traffic on that segment is restricted to one lane, with the direction changing as construction advances. The county lists 66th Street North and Park Boulevard as alternate routes and gives the project a construction timeline extending into late 2026.
Separately, the City of St. Petersburg’s Connecting South St. Pete effort is a planning study focused on walking, bicycling and transit in south St. Pete neighborhoods and business corridors. Spectrum News reported July 22, 2026, that the city committee had approved moving the study into the design phase. It is a planning effort, not an approved construction project, and is unrelated to the county’s Lealman construction.
What residents should watch
The Lealman segment remains in progress, and the county’s stated construction window runs through fall 2026. Families, pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers should rely on updated county information for any changes to access, crossings or travel conditions rather than assuming that the project listing represents a full road closure.
Sources
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