Planners are narrowing options for the best light rail route to serve downtown, but they face a dilemma:
An east-west route that follows I-275 or Cypress Street bypasses the business core and Channelside, but a route through the heart of the business district would add time for travelers between the airport, downtown and northeast Tampa.
A decision on the route alignment through downtown Tampa will play a key role in determining the overall network planners present to Federal Transit Administration officials in August.
Federal approval is required to compete for a portion of funding for a light rail network, which also would be supported by tax revenue from a proposed 1 cent Hillsborough County sales tax surcharge that goes before voters in November.
Preliminary plans call for light rail between Northeast Tampa, downtown and West Shore. The key is how to serve downtown when linking the Northeast segment and the West Shore segment, which could be funded and built at different times.
"We must decide which alignment we want in each corridor and then which corridor we want to do first," said David Armijo, chief executive of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority. "To do so we have to figure out how we want to serve downtown."
A route running along I-275 or Cypress Street would require a connector - possibly light rail, streetcar, trolley or bus -- to get to the business hub and Channelside. If the main light rail route runs south through downtown, the extra travel time could discourage riders between Tampa International Airport and Northeast Tampa.
The public will be invited to comment on HART's options before the HART board determines its best plan.
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