TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Task Force Working With Engineers To Craft Transit Plan

Tribune file photo by CHRIS URSO

The transportation task force is pitching light rail and buses, not cars.

ADVERTISEMENT

By RICH SHOPES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 30, 2009

TAMPA - Hillsborough County's transportation task force is turning to an engineering consultant to help come up with a long-range transit plan that includes a rail and bus system.

The task force agreed to turn to the county's in-house transportation consultant, HNTB Inc., so it could have a transit plan to present to Hillsborough County commissioners by September.

Also, the commission wants to hold as many as 15 public meetings before that plan is presented to commissioners, but the actual number and meeting dates haven't been worked out yet. Also unknown is how much it will pay HNTB for the work.

It's expected that other agencies working on transit plans, such as Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, will offer input to the county's plan as well.

The move comes after Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio spelled out her vision for rail, which includes a light-rail system between the University of South Florida and downtown Tampa.

HART would operate that system, which would eventually extend to Tampa International Airport.

Bob Clifford, executive director of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, told task force members the HART rail system could extend to Wesley Chapel. Pasco County officials are talking about developing a countywide transit system.

"I can tell you that transportation is the No. 1 issue in Pasco," he said.

Over the past year, the task force has heard from a variety of transit experts, including from out of state, and now is trying to develop its own long-range transit plan to take to county commissioners.

A year ago, commissioners approved a task force recommendation to spend $500 million over five years on road improvements.

Those plans deal mostly with road and intersection improvements, and now the task force is looking at transit, specifically a network of buses and trains spread across the county.

From now until September, the task force will focus on specific systems, their startup and operational costs as well as long-term funding strategies.

Transportation leaders hope a comprehensive transit plan can be taken to voters in November 2010 to raise the local sales tax by a penny. That increase would provide an estimated $200 million for transit.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT