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Tampa Bay Area Surface Road Discussion

89K views 580 replies 48 participants last post by  HARTride 2012 
#1 ·
City Seeks Public Input on Ashley Corridor Improvements Projects

Check it out folks... Now somebody better go to that little gathering of the minds...




For more information contact:
Irvin Lee, Public Works Director
(813) 274-8721
Irvin.Lee@tampagov.net

City Seeks Public Input on Ashley Corridor Improvements Projects – Community Meeting To Be Held On June 26

Tampa, FL June 13, 2007 - The City of Tampa, in conjunction with HDR Inc., will hold a community meeting on Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at 6 p.m. regarding the Ashley Corridor Improvements Projects. The meeting will take place at Maestro’s Restaurant in the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, located at 1010 North WC MacInnes Place, next to the John F. Germany Public Library.

The meeting is open to all members of the public and local residents of Tampa and Hillsborough County are encouraged to participate. The community’s perspective and support are essential to make this planning effort a success. Design opportunities under development will be on display for participants to provide input.

HDR, Inc. has been hired by the City of Tampa to design improvements for Ashley Drive from I-275 to Kennedy Boulevard transforming the corridor into a major downtown gateway. Included will be pedestrian improvements to facilitate urban connections between the east side of the Central Business District to waterfront locations on the west, as well as the existing Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, the proposed Curtis Hixon Park, Tampa Museum of Art and the Children’s Museum.

Parking is free in the Poe Garage next to the library and dress is casual. The overhead walkway from the Poe Parking Garage will lead directly to the second story meeting area.

For questions, please contact Director David Vaughn, Contract Administration Department, at (813) 274-8568 or david.vaughn@tampagov.net.
 
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#462 ·
The funny part is most of these business owners are on leases anyways. They don't even own the property they are complaining will be devalued. Of course, the exact opposite is true. Once this project is built, the property value of commercial land along the Gandy corridor will rise sharply, because the city has made it known for years that they are eager to redevelop the corridor with higher density apartments, office space and mixed use retail projects. There already several thousand residential units and several hundred thousand sqft of office, hotel and retail space already rezoned along Westshore Blvd just north and south of Gandy.
 
#466 ·
From the St Pete Times article

Meanwhile, opponents say they've turned in 1,500 signatures of people against the plan and that they're trying to set up a meeting this week or next to decide on a strategy. Residents and business owners have been fighting the idea since it was introduced in 2008.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/roads/gandy-bridge-fight-brews-again-in-tampa/1187416

They're like "OMG! YOU'RE GONNA DESTROY ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THIS BRIDGE!" :bash:
 
#473 · (Edited)
What? I did not know anything about that. In a way, I can sorta understand why. But I knew nothing of the road narrowing.

EDIT: Upon further observation, it does look like that Bayshore will indeed lose one lane in each direction. It appears that the median is actually being widened and probably so will the two existing travel lanes in each direction. Actually, I hope that they FINALLY add bike lanes in each direction. It's maddening that the current bike lanes do not extend beyond the asphalt segment.
 
#480 ·
Once its done, I hope someone takes a few pictures because I'd love to see what that stretch looks like with the improvements. I don't know when I'm going to get back to the area.
 
#482 ·
Work is nearly done on the cement section of Bayshore. Both directions are nicely striped, grinding work is finished (though they should have grinded the whole road, not just replaced slabs, therefore the "thump" is not eliminated), and the median is nicely grassed. I understand that the city is planning a landscaping project after Gasparilla.

Also, new traffic signals were installed at Platt St & Bay-to-Bay Blvd to make the intersections more pedestrian friendly. This means that vehicles traveling northbound are subject to a red light.
 
#484 ·
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localg...ead-of-republican-national-convention/1213443


Tampa to do Ashley Drive makeover ahead of Republican National Convention


"In coming years, the city plans to move in concentric circles starting close to downtown. So after Ashley, streets like Channelside Drive would be done next, with the city later moving out to roads like Nebraska Avenue.

'This is the beginning of what will be a four-year commitment,' Buckhorn said."
 
#485 ·
Fletcher Ave Widening/Transit Discussion

I know that a couple of us mentioned the upcoming widening project for Fletcher Ave on the Tampa Bay Rail Discussion thread, but of course that thread isn't the right place to continue that particular discussion, so I have created a separate thread for the topic.

Unfortunately, as the article below states, the project could already be D.O.A.

That study is wrapping up, but it's unlikely anything will come of it — at least anytime soon.

That's because the project isn't likely to get funded, even though engineers say the widening is sorely needed.

There are several reasons: The big price tag, estimated at $75 million to $110 million; the weak economy, which caused deep cuts in tax revenues to pay for roadwork; and a federal rule that prohibits federal spending for certain highway projects.

The dilemma surfaced last year as the county was deep into the $2 million study.

The county asked the Metropolitan Planning Organization — the group that determines which local projects meet federal criteria for funds — to take a second look at the Fletcher widening after it ranked low under a federal assessment for financing.

The group suggested the county could better its odds by tweaking the design and adding high-occupancy-vehicle lanes for buses and car pools during rush hour. Adding the HOV lanes would also help Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, which is planning a bus rapid transit system on Fletcher from Nebraska Avenue to I-75.

County officials liked the idea, but then discovered a problem: a federal rule that encourages funding for HOV lanes on federal and state roadways — but prevents federal funds from going to local road projects with HOV lanes like Fletcher.

In other words, adding HOV lanes would boost the project's funding chances in its planners' eyes, but also sink its chances of getting any federal help.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/transp...s-widening-of-crowded-fletcher-avenue/1217253

So in other words, widening isn't financially possible right now, and light rail won't be happening for at least 20 years, so we are back at square one.
 
#486 · (Edited)
When I saw this thread, I immediately thought, "what would there be to discuss?"

Actually, there is one thing to discuss... exactly who is getting fired for fucking over Hillsborough County taxpayers with yet another useless $2 million 'study'?
That study is wrapping up, but it's unlikely anything will come of it — at least anytime soon.

That's because the project isn't likely to get funded
, even though engineers say the widening is sorely needed.

There are several reasons: The big price tag, estimated at $75 million to $110 million; the weak economy, which caused deep cuts in tax revenues to pay for roadwork; and a federal rule that prohibits federal spending for certain highway projects.
The 'rule' that was ignored is not new, and should have been known about by any competent planning official.

Reminds me of the incompetent buffoon who wasted CoT taxpayer dollars by applying for TIGER transit grants to be used on the riverwalk, even though the rules for that program explicitly define what type of projects do and do not conform with the program.
 
#488 ·
County puts brakes on new road work

http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2012/may/09/namaino1-county-puts-brakes-on-new-road-work-ar-401570/

:eek:hno:

Set to expire in 2026, the Community Investment Tax can't pay back future bond issues to finance roads and other projects.

"We can't use a credit card if we don't have any way to pay it off," said County Administrator Mike Merrill.

Last year, county administrators deferred $124 million in planned road work until 2014 because of declining revenues from the half-cent tax. Now, those projects and any others that may be needed to handle future population growth are being postponed indefinitely, said Bonnie Wise, the county's chief financial administrator.

"It declined for several years," Wise said. "Now, with the end in sight for 2026, we just don't have the CIT funds available to fund capital projects. It's going to continue to be a problem."
In other words, if we fall into an all out depression, all these projects will not leave paper until beyond 2020. :eek:hno:
 
#489 ·
But hey, let's vote against a transportation referendum that would had funded many of these road projects because the referendum also has light rail in and we believe that mass transit is some Socialist Democratic view. :bash:

Hillsborough gets what it voted for. What does No Tax for Tracks or 9/12 have to say? Toll the roads now?
 
#490 ·
Love how halfway through the CIT's lifespan, they're already starting the "we need more money to be able to spend this moeny" BS.

Here's a novel idea since they're now claiming they have to save up before they can build something... Stick with it, and only PAY CASH for the projects from now on. Do that and watch how over time the cost of roadbuilding gets cut by more than half. (more than half the cost of financed roadbuilding projects vanish to interest charges from the banks providing loanshark financing to the biggest 'sure thing' customer of all, the taxpayers)
 
#491 ·
Didn't know the project even started

http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...ticles/bn9/2012/6/4/bayway_bridge_closur.html

There’s good news and bad news for drivers who use the Bayway Bridge.
The good news is that new bridge is on the way, but the bad news is that before it's complete, drivers will have to deal with traffic headaches and closures while it’s under construction.

Drivers headed eastbound will have to use the Corey Causeway instead on Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Our contractor is having concrete trucks come in so we’re closing the eastbound lanes and detouring traffic to the Corey Causeway,” FDOT spokesperson Kris Carson said.
Bay News 9 traffic expert Chuck Henson said if you travel on the Bayway Bridge, you need to make a plan.
“For eastbound traffic, that detour is pretty far out of your way," he said. "You’ve got to go all the way up to Corey Avenue to get around it. If you’re not prepared for that, it’s really going to put a lot of extra time on your commute.”

FDOT will not close any of the westbound lanes until part of the new bridge is open so they can keep that traffic flowing out of the beach.

"We do we have a lot of traffic that heads toward the beaches, and we want to try to keep those lanes open as much as possible," Carson said.
When the project is complete, the delay-causing drawbridge will be gone and replaced by a brand new four-lane elevated bridge that will keep traffic flowing better than ever.

"The fact that it’s going to be 65 feet tall, it’s not going to be a drawbridge anymore, or anybody stopping as they go over to the beach," Henson said. "All those people will be able to fly through that not literally but they’ll be able to get over without any problem."

The work is not expected to affect evacuation routes, should a hurricane or tropical storm hit the area this season.
 
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