SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, Fla. — The City of Tampa plans to hold a meeting Wednesday night to discuss the Seminole Heights Flooding Relief project.
It officially started in the fall of 2021, and neighbors say the construction has gone on for far too long.
Several neighborhood streets have dealt with dirt, debris, torn-up pavement, and detours.
RELATED: Seminole Heights construction continues to cause headaches for neighbors
Last week neighbors learned completion of work on Caracas will take longer than originally anticipated after workers installed a six-foot storm pipe incorrectly.
The city originally estimated that digging out the improper work and reinstalling it correctly add an additional four to five weeks of work. But neighbors are skeptical.
The pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church down the street from Caracas off Central Avenue admits while the work has been invasive and is a safety hazard for residents and people who drive in the area, he does like some of the work that's been done.
"I do like the new pavers that they out in for the parallel parking. And I'm excited to know there's going to be bike lanes and things like that," said Reverend Doctor Gabriel Morgan. "But, it's difficult sometimes when roads that are passable one day are impassable the next, and to not know where to go. And sometimes trucks with trailers will trap someone in a particular road or corner, and that's been challenging."
He also said it's important to be patient as this work gets finished.
"It's hard, but it's something that has to be done. We need to be forgiving of each other," he said. "It's invasive, but the project overall is important. We understand that. The city needs to make stormwater improvements because we do have more intense flooding projected for the future."
Neighbors told us Tuesday they didn't want to go on camera and talk anymore because they feel like they've said all that can be said. They don't think anything has changed and say the construction impacts their lives every single day.
One man has to back into an alleyway because he can't pull forward out of his driveway.
Pastor Morgan said that's where the church is fortunate — it has two entrances off Central, so there is always access. It's also why he's offered his parking lot to nearby neighbors if they can't park in their own driveways.
The city of Tampa is hosting a meeting at the A.W. Windhorst lodge off Nebraska and Caracas Street Wednesday night at 6 p.m. to update people on the project and what future construction looks like on Central Avenue north of Hillsborough Avenue.
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