$11 million project will turn some Pinellas County streets into smart roadways

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Pinellas County roadways are among the most dangerous in the state and that’s why it has been chosen as a testing ground for new technology and make the roadways safer. 

By end of 2022, the county hopes to use cameras and sensors to create an app where vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists can all talk to each other on their smartphones. 

The app lets users know how many seconds are left in a red light, alerts pedestrians when it’s safe to cross the street and warns of other hazards like speeding in a school zone.

"It’s the cutting edge of what’s going on in transportation right now, it all ties into a smart cities concept," said Tom Washburn, transportation director for Pinellas County. 

READ FHP: Speeding Tesla crashes into Palm Harbor home, killing woman and dog inside

The system costs $11 million and is mostly funded by grant money and will operate on US 19, State Road 60 and McMullen Booth Road to cut down on the time in traffic and make some of Florida’s deadliest roads safer. 

UPDATES: Get news alerts and updates in the free FOX 13 News app