February 2021 – Every winter the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) updates its work program of transportation projects to be funded, responding to priority lists adopted by MPOs the previous summer. On February 10, the Hillsborough MPO expressed its disappointment at the delay of the I-275 interchange reconstruction in West Shore and the new US 41 rail overpass just south of US 41/50th St and Causeway Blvd intersection. Both projects have been postponed due to pandemic-related state budget shortfalls. In a letter, the MPO urged FDOT to reinstate funding as soon as possible for these critical links in the transportation network.
The MPO’s priorities for this year were adopted on June 30, 2020 at a public hearing. The priorities help shape the FDOT work program which includes public transit, seaport, airport and rail projects, transportation planning, intelligent transportation, highway design, right of way acquisition, and construction activities. After the approval of the state budget by the legislature in the spring, the funded projects will be incorporated into the MPO Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to be approved at the annual public hearing on June 9, 2021.
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