July 2022
Riverview/Apollo Beach Edition
FOOD & FIRE SAFETY TIPS KEEP FAMILY BBQS SAFE FOR ALL
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INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS FOR I-75 AND BIG BEND ROAD SLATED FOR 2025 COMPLETION By Sharon Still
By Marie Gilmore
Kelsey Christian (R), health educator with the Florida Department of Health, and spokesperson Ryan Terry demonstrate safe food handling tips for summer.
’Tis the season for fun backyard cookouts, barbecues, pool time and more, but nothing stops a fun gathering in its tracks like an unintentional fire or spreading salmonella to your guests due to unsafe handling practices. To give some tips for the summer, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) partnered with Florida Department of Health officials to host an open house at Fire Station 16 in Riverview to make sure residents are ready for safe summer fun. HCFR lead fire investigator David Tucker said, “We see injuries that occur each year when families shoot off fireworks. We recommend everyone to have access to a bucket or a trash can filled with water to fully extinguish the firework after shooting it.” According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 64 percent of American households have a gas grill, and grill fires are most common in July. Unfortunately, grill-related accidents are
common. In a typical year, more than 10,000 fires are started by grills, and 19,000 people are hospitalized because of mishaps involving grills. If you’re grilling outdoors, HCFR has some tips on keeping your family and home safe. HCFR public education specialist Jim Schmidt, who also wants families to be careful with their gas grills, said, “Make sure your grill is clean, safe, no leaks in the propane hoses and do not keep your grill under a covered roof.” On the food side, the Florida Department of Health wants to remind people that cooked food should not be left out on a table for more than one hour to avoid the growth of foodborne germs. “People think food safety is complicated,” said health educator Kelsey Christian, “but it’s very simple and a few extra minutes may stop you from becoming sick.” Washing hands and utensils, keeping raw meat separate from vegetables, making sure to cook foods thoroughly, keeping perishable food in the refrigerator with a temperature of 40 degrees or below and not thawing foods on the counter are some of the top recommendations from the health department. For more health safety tips, visit www. hillsboroughcountyhealth.org.
www.fdottampabay.com/I75-virtual-open-house/ into your browser or navigate from www.fdottampabay. com. Improvements on this $81.7 million project include: · Adding a new northbound I-75 entrance ramp from westbound Big Bend Road. · Adding a new southbound I-75 exit ramp to westbound Big Bend Road. · Increasing the storage area at the base of the northbound I-75 exit ramp by adding a left-turn lane onto westbound Big Bend Road. · Extending the southbound I-75 exit ramp lane approaching Big Bend Road and adding dual right-turn lanes to westbound Big Bend Road. · Adding a triple right-turn lane controlled by a signal from the southbound I-75 exit ramp to eastbound Big Bend Road. · Adding signalized dual left-turn movements from westbound Big Bend Road to southbound I-75 and eastbound Big Bend Road to northbound I-75. · Widening Big Bend Road between Covington Garden Drive and Simmons Loop from a four-lane divided road to six lanes featuring enhanced pedestrian, bicycle, and bus facilities. · Rebuilding the Old Big Bend Road and Big Bend Road bridges. The project is expected to be completed in September 2025. Residents interested in receiving construction updates, including nightly lane closures, should sign up on the FDOT website at www.fdottampabay.com; reference project 424513-3-52-01. Email roadwork@dot.state.fl.us or call project manager at 813-975-3573.
Eastbound Big Bend Road West of I-75
“If you build it, they will come.” — Shoeless Joe Jackson. The burgeoning population of southern Hillsborough County has created a traffic nightmare at Big Bend Road and I-75. Motorists wait in long lines to enter and exit the interstate, with the impatient ones rushing to the front and cutting everyone off, causing accidents and more havoc. In recognition of the rapid growth of the South County area, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has partnered with Hillsborough County to develop longterm solutions to help alleviate traffic congestion. Roadway reconstruction kicked off in December 2021 and FDOT District 7 recently held a Construction Open House to educate the community of the upcoming improvements, provide a timeline for construction as well as field questions from residents and business owners in the SouthShore area about the I-75/Big Bend Interchange Improvements. More than 500 people attended the in-person meeting or participated in a virtual tour featuring live chat. “The virtual open house worked great,” reported Kristen Carson, FDOT District 7 communications manager. “We have the maps and information still available online.” Put
