East-West Toll Road Gets Another Look In N.E. Hillsborough

There's still hope for commuters in New Tampa and Pasco County longing for a connection between New Tampa Boulevard and Interstate 275.

A month after a deal to build the east-west toll road fell through, the state's toll road authority said it will take a fresh look at the long-delayed project.

"We did commit we would take a second look and go back in six weeks and let them know what we found," Florida's Turnpike Enterprise spokeswoman Joanne Hurley said Tuesday.

Turnpike Planning Manager Randy Fox met separately Friday with officials from the city, Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority and the state Department of Transportation.

The agency agreed it would update a 2005 version of the proposed three-mile, elevated road. At the time the agency decided against moving forward, citing the cost.

Back then, the authority was proposing variable pricing. Peak, rush-hour fares of $1.25 would recede to 75 cents in off-peak hours. The study showed the pricing model would have produced enough money for construction, but not enough for operations and upkeep.

"We will be looking at all of those conditions that could have changed since that time," Hurley said.

That information will be weighed against other projects in the pipeline before Florida's Turnpike Enterprise can decide whether the project is worth pursuing. Last year, the east-west road's cost was estimated at $155 million.

A connector road between New Tampa Boulevard and I-275 has been talked about since the 1980s as a possible solution for congested Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. About 60,000 vehicles travel the road daily.

A year ago, the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority struck a tentative agreement with the Plenary Group, a road builder with offices in Canada and Australia, to build and maintain the road for a share of the tolls.

The company wanted the fares to start at $1.50 one-way and escalate to $2.75 after five years. The expressway authority balked at that, but continued to negotiate with Plenary for a better rate. The deal collapsed last month when Plenary refused to budge on its tolls.

Had the deal moved forward, the east-west road would have been the first public toll road in Florida built and operated by a private company.

Sue Chrzan, spokeswoman for the expressway authority, said the project might have a better chance moving forward under Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.

"The issue with Plenary was how to fund the project. Plus, Plenary is not a public agency. They have to make money, for themselves and for their investors," she said.

A few days after the deal with Plenary collapsed, Mayor Pam Iorio said she would ask Florida's Turnpike Enterprise to again study the project.

The city already is heavily invested in the toll road. It spent $4 million over the years for land and studies. In addition, it has set aside $12 million for a bridge to connect to the road. The county has agreed to chip in an additional $4 million for the bridge.

That money would be redirected to other projects if the road project does not move forward.