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HART Changes Coming This Weekend

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By RICH SHOPES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 21, 2008

TAMPA - Bus riders should brace for loads of service changes to take effect Sunday.

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit approved the changes months ago as a way to improve efficiency and coincide with the opening of HART's Northwest Transfer Center at Sheldon Road and Waters Avenue.

The center, which replaces one at a shopping center at Hanley Road and Waters, was supposed to open a month ago, but recurring thunderstorms caused construction delays, HART spokeswoman Kathy Karalekas said.

"These are for the most part pretty minor changes. There are no elimination of services," she said.

Among the changes:

Route 22X (Dover/Brandon Express)

The eastbound route will take State Road 60 to Pinewood Avenue instead of Parsons Avenue to Sadie Street for a direct route to Rogers Field.

Route 7 (West Tampa/Citrus Park)

Arrival times at Main Street and Howard Avenue will no longer be printed in route brochures. Arrival times will be included for Howard and Columbus Drive (northbound) and Armenia Avenue and Columbus (southbound) to connect with Route 15.

Arrival times for stops at Manhattan and Sligh avenues will not be printed. Arrival times at Anderson Road and Waters Avenue, connecting with Route 16, will be printed.

Route 12 (22nd Street)

Arrival times at 22nd and Sligh will be not be printed. Arrival times will be printed for Rowlett Park Drive and Sligh to indicate a transfer point for routes 9, 12, 18 and 41.

Route 14 (Armenia)

Northbound trips will depart 10 minutes later; southbound trips, 15 minutes later.

Route 15 (Columbus)

The published westbound times for stops at Columbus and 22nd will be applied to 17th Avenue and 22nd.

The last westbound evening trip on Saturdays will depart at 7 p.m. instead of 6:50 p.m.

Route 33 (Fletcher Avenue)

The Lakeview park-and-ride service will end.

The first weekday eastbound trip will leave North Lakeview Drive and Dale Mabry Highway at 4:45 a.m. instead of 5:10 a.m.

The first weekday westbound trip will leave the University Area Transit Center at 5:45 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.

The end of the line will be moved to North Lakeview Drive and Dale Mabry from North Lakeview and Valley Drive.

Route 16 (Waters)

Rerouted to serve the new Northwest Transfer Center.

The route will take Webb Road to Memorial Highway and north on Sheldon to the new transfer center.

The route will not pull into Town 'N Country Hospital but will serve the hospital street-side.

The published times for stops will apply to Hanley Road and Waters, Hillsborough Avenue and Memorial (connecting with routes 16, 34, and 88) and to the Northwest Transfer Center.

Eastbound Saturday service will begin at 6:35 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m.

Route 30 (Town 'N Country)

Rerouted to serve the Northwest Transfer Center.

The published times for stops at Hillsborough Avenue and Kelly Road will be applied to Hillsborough and Hanley to connect with Route 34.

Weekend buses will leave the Northwest Transfer Center at five minutes after the hour instead of on the hour to make departure times consistent with weekday service.

Running times were changed by three to five minutes on most trips.

Route 34 (Hillsborough Avenue)

Rerouted to serve the Northwest Transfer Center.

The route will no longer travel on Waters between Hanley and Sheldon.

Running time changes for all service.

Route 39 (Busch Boulevard)

Rerouted to serve the Northwest Transfer Center.

Route will remain on Gunn (to Sheldon) to serve the Northwest Transfer Center.

The route will no longer travel on Waters between Hanley and Sheldon.

Saturday service from the Netpark Transfer Center will start at a new time, 7 a.m.

Running time changes for all service.

Route 59LX

Route will serve the Northwest Transfer Center.

A new stop was added at Hanley and Waters.

Route 88 (Town 'N Country Connector)

Rerouted to serve as a one-way loop.

The published times for stops will apply to Hillsborough Avenue and Memorial (connecting with routes 16, 34 and 88) and to the Northwest Transfer Center.

The times for stops at Town 'N Country Hospital and Timberlane West Drive and Westgate Drive will no longer be published, although the Route 88 will serve those locations.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or at rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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