October 2019 – On Tuesday, November 5 at a 6:00 p.m. Public Hearing, the MPO Board will consider the adoption of the It’s TIME Hillsborough 2045 Transportation Plan for Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City and Hillsborough County. To remain eligible to spend state and federal dollars on transportation projects, an updated plan must be approved. The MPO is encouraging citizens to attend the meeting and provide comments. The meeting will be held on the 2nd floor of County Center, located at 601 East Kennedy Boulevard in downtown Tampa. A copy of the draft plan is available at: planhillsborough.org/2045lrtp/ and in the Planning Commission Library on the 18th floor of County Center, Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Implementation of the 2045 Plan will:
- Repave roads before condition degrades beyond repair
- Perform routine maintenance and rehabilitate old bridges
- Reduce traffic delay 40% from future growth
- Make commuting times 30% more reliable
- Replace buses on time to avoid breakdowns
- Provide 1 million residents with access to frequent bus service
- Install streetlights on unlit major roads
- Make sidewalks continuous on at least one side of major roads
- Install safety treatments on 350 miles of high crash roads
- Complete the walk/bike greenway & trail network
Some of the major transportation projects being considered for funding over the next twenty years include:
Rapid Transit in its own right-of-way, starting by connecting USF, Downtown Tampa, Westshore & Tampa International Airport | Potential future extensions to South Tampa, Brandon, Plant City, Southshore, Carrollwood, Westchase, Lutz, & Wesley Chapel | Reuse freight rail where possible
Ferry to/from Southshore & MacDill AFB and to/from Tampa & St. Petersburg
Modernize/Extend Streetcar through Downtown Tampa to Transit Center and Heights
Full reconstruction of I-275/SR 60 Westshore Interchange and add 2 express lanes in each direction on I-275 from Howard Frankland Bridge to near Downtown and on SR 60 from Cypress Ave to north of Memorial Hwy
I-275/I-4 Downtown Interchange “Quick Fix” – adjust ramps to improve safety & traffic flow
I-275 north of Downtown add 1 general-use lane in each direction within existing right-of-way & improve interchanges from I-4 to Bearss Ave
I-4 add new express toll lanes & improve interchanges, from Selmon Connector to Polk Pkwy, including I-4/I-75 interchange new ramps
I-75 add new express toll lanes from US 301 (Temple Terrace) to Pasco County, and from Manatee County to Bloomingdale Ave; improve interchanges at Big Bend Rd & at Gibsonton Dr
Add lanes to Selmon Expressway from I-4 Connector to US 301 and from Gandy Blvd to Downtown Tampa, plus new Whiting St Interchange
New overpass on US 41 at Causeway Blvd & CSX RR Crossing
Replace Gandy Bridge, including operational improvements & multi-use trail from Westshore Blvd to Pinellas County
Add two lanes on: SR 60 from Valrico Rd to Polk County | Causeway Blvd from 50th St to US 301 | US 301 from Selmon Expressway to Sligh Ave | US 41 from Big Bend Rd to 19th Ave NE | Hillsborough Ave from 50th St to Orient Rd | US 92 from Garden Ln/Eureka Springs Rd to Mango Rd & from Maryland Ave (Plant City) to Polk County
County Roads – Add 2 lanes on: 19th Ave NE from US 41 to US 301 | Gibsonton Dr from I-75 to US 301 | Orient Rd from Sligh Ave to Columbus Dr | Lutz Lake Fern Rd from Suncoast Expressway to Dale Mabry Hwy | Plus: Extend Sligh Ave from US 301 to Williams Rd | Funds are set aside for additional projects to be determined in the future by Hillsborough County.
The hearing will be broadcast live on HTV, and there are many ways to participate. Sign up for speaking in person will be available on November 5 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the first-floor lobby of County Center. If you are planning to transfer minutes to another speaker, you must sign up together, notifying staff to obtain consecutive speaker numbers. The entire group must be present in the boardroom when your name/number is called. Spontaneous transfers will not be honored. The amount of time allotted to each speaker may be adjusted by the Chair to accommodate as many speakers as possible. If you are unable to attend in person, you can email comments in advance to Lisa Silva at silval@plancom.org or contact 813/273-3774 x329. Advance Facebook comments can be made on the MPO’s Facebook event page. Email, voicemail, and Facebook event posts received no later than November 4 will be distributed to the MPO Board for the public hearing. All comments received are public record.
Persons needing interpreter services or accommodations for a disability in order to participate in the hearing, free of charge, are encouraged to contact Johnny Wong, 813/273-3774, x370 or wongj@plancom.org, three business days in advance of the hearing. Si necesita servicios de traducción, el MPO ofrece por gratis. Para registrarse por estos servicios, por favor llame a Johnny Wong directamente al 813/273-3774, x370 tres días antes, o por correo electronico wongj@plancom.org. También, si sólo se puede hablar en español, por favor llame a la línea de ayuda en español al 813/273-3774, x211. The MPO does not discriminate in any of its programs or services. Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, family or religious status. More about our commitment to nondiscrimination: planhillsborough.org/non-discrimination-commitment
