SR 39 is currently a state-owned road that provides one of the few north-south movements through eastern Hillsborough and Pasco counties. In 1988, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) conducted a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study for the widening of SR 39 from I-4 to US 301. Early in the study process, it was determined that it would not be feasible to widen SR 39 from I-4 to the vicinity of Knights-Griffin Road. As a result of coordination with the City of Plant City and the Hillsborough County MPO, the FDOT evaluated a new bypass alignment from I-4 to the vicinity of Knights-Griffin Road in addition to widening SR 39 north of the bypass alignment. The City of Plant City had identified the need to divert traffic from its historic district by relocating the SR 39 interchange to Alexander Street. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved these plans in November 2000.
This project is now under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2014. After the bypass is constructed, FDOT plans to transfer the portion of SR 39 from Alexander Street to Knights-Griffin Road to the ownership of the City of Plant City. Thus, the City has requested that the Hillsborough County MPO prepare a study to develop an integrated plan for street and landscaping improvements along Collins Street/James L. Redman Parkway (formerly SR 39) from Alexander Street to Baker Street in Plant City, Florida.
The project is approximately 2 miles long and will serve as the southern gateway into the City’s Midtown and Downtown core. The goal of this study is to develop a vision for how the roadway corridor should look and function in the future. Of primary importance is to reconfigure the corridor as a Context-Sensitive Complete Street, including facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists.