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Drivers In Airport Corridor To See Ramp Change Monday

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By RICH SHOPES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 7, 2008

Starting Monday morning, motorists will need to adjust to another traffic configuration near Tampa International Airport.

But this one should be less painful than recent changes that left motorists weaving between lanes or at a standstill.

The Department of Transportation will open a single-lane ramp to funnel cars from westbound Courtney Campbell Parkway to the northbound Veterans Expressway.

The only possible hiccup: The ramp is on the left side rather than the traditional right. It's between Rocky Point Drive and Bayport Drive.

The new configuration will allow the DOT to remove the triple-left turn signal at Memorial Highway to create a free-flowing corridor, meaning drivers won't have to stop anymore at Memorial.

Motorists will need to be mindful of that left-side exit. By next summer, it will be widened to two lanes.

S.R. 39 Repaving Starts

Paul Buchman Highway/State Road 39 in the Plant City area is getting a facelift.

The DOT last week started making preparations to repave the road between Interstate 4 and the Pasco County line, a stretch of about nine miles. The $3.2 million project will take about five months.

During that time, drivers will need to watch for flagmen and be prepared to stop. My advice: Avoid the highway if you can. Because the road is only two lanes, workers will need to shift traffic to one lane while working on the other one.

The good news is most of the lane closures should occur at night.

7th Avenue More Than Party Central

Seventh Avenue in Ybor City is getting some respect.

It turns out the street known for wild partying is steeped in community activism and a rich immigrant history. The American Planning Association, also citing its architecture, last month named Seventh Avenue a top-10 U.S. street.

The designation should give juice to tourism and business development efforts. At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Mayor Pam Iorio will unveil a sign noting the designation at Rough Rider's Park, Seventh Avenue and 13th Street.

Get Involved

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority is in the final lap of finishing its master transportation plan.

Motorists who haven't weighed in still have a chance to be heard about a plan that could affect roads and public transportation for decades.

A series of workshops is gearing up next week. One will be in Hillsborough County, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Bell Shoals Baptist Church, 2102 Bell Shoals Road, Brandon.

Slow Going On Columbus Drive

Try to avoid Columbus Drive in the Sabal Park area over the next couple of weeks. The county says a TECO project to remove and relocate a power line will stretch into next week.

The utility will have daytime lane closures of the westbound lane approaching Falkenburg Road.

Got a traffic gripe? Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or at rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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