PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — For nearly 20 years, traffic on a Pinellas Park street has shielded itself from busy traffic on U.S. 19. But in doing so, it has created new and dangerous conditions for the people who live there. 

The overgrown barricade is on 80th Avenue North, just west of U.S. 19 in Pinellas Park. Randy Heine is a one-man crew looking to take it down. 

What You Need To Know

"People have to detour through the parking lot of a strip center. And you're not supposed to legally cut through a strip center to go through to a street," he said. 

The traffic signal was placed on U.S. 19 at 80th Avenue North, 20 years ago when the Walmart was built. At that time, residents didn't want store traffic using their street, so they petitioned for a barricade. 

Now, the parking lot at the Ashley Furniture Store has become a defacto through street. Meaning, drivers who want to head north, cut through the lot in order to get to the traffic signal and a protected turn — which puts customers in the parking lot in danger. 

According to City Manager Doug Lewis, the developer of the shopping center understood this was going to be the case and agreed to it. 

Then there's the barricade itself. There is trash all around and homeless people take up residence there at times. 

"We were here two years ago and it still looks the same.  Nobody has trimmed the barricade.  Nobody has done anything.  I don't think any body cares!" Heine said. 

And the final piece of the puzzle — the old New Journey Fellowship Church sits right behind the shopping center. It's lot connects the two streets.

The city bought the property to build a new fire station. There was hope traffice might be able to use that rather than the shopping center lot to cut between the two streets. However, that's not the case, according to the city manager. 

"The barricade will stay in place with no westbound traffic beyond it, not even fire department vehicles. This was reaffirmed by the City Council at a recent council meeting when a citizen asked the same question. For emergency calls to the west, emergency vehicles will go out onto 78th Avenue or out to the light on 80th Avenue and U.S. 19.

Public petition would be the only thing to change the situation, and for now, that doesn't seem to be something the majority of the residents want.