Crews are already positioning equipment and completing preliminary work, with construction expected to begin this spring.<\/p>\n
TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Members of Tampa City Council got a detailed update Thursday on the planned expansion of the South Selmon Expressway, as the long-discussed project moves closer to construction.<\/p>\n
The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority told council members crews are already positioning equipment and completing preliminary work, with construction expected to begin this spring.<\/p>\n
THEA Executive Director Greg Slater said the $362 million project \u2014 fully funded through toll revenue, not taxes \u2014 will expand the expressway from two lanes in each direction to three between downtown Tampa and Gandy Boulevard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the design phase now getting ready to get out there,\u201d Slater said. \u201cYou\u2019ll start to see some preliminary activity around the expressway \u2014 surveyors, those types of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
To limit disruption in the downtown core, THEA has built in a $5 million incentive for contractors to start and finish work near the Tampa Convention Center early in the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a $5 million incentive that they start in the downtown area by the convention center and then get out of downtown,\u201d Slater said. \u201cWe want to minimize that disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond traffic improvements, Slater said the project includes 14 community-focused green spaces beneath the elevated roadway, featuring parks, dog parks, pickleball courts and outdoor gathering areas, along with enhanced stormwater management and noise-barrier walls in residential areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do is create sections of community space in the different neighborhoods and sections that the expressway goes through,\u201d Slater said. \u201cAnd activate that space underneath the expressway in an attempt to connect the communities on either side of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak welcomed those additions, particularly the benefits extending beyond South Tampa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s really exciting,\u201d Hurtak said. \u201cAnd I want the public to know that not only are we getting some benefits in South Tampa to some of the underpasses \u2014 it\u2019s really coming downtown as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
THEA also outlined plans to incorporate cameras, artificial intelligence and real-time traffic monitoring \u2014 what Slater described as a \u201cdowntown brain\u201d \u2014 allowing the system to detect congestion early and adjust signal timing to improve traffic flow.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf traffic starts to build on one of the ramps and it starts to back up, then we can start extending some of those green times and push that traffic through a little bit,\u201d Slater said.<\/p>\n
Some council members pressed THEA to plan for future transit needs. Councilman Bill Carlson urged the authority to preserve space for potential commuter rail or light-rail stations along the corridor.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease reserve space for train stations,\u201d Carlson said. \u201cBecause we\u2019re going to get that within the next few years, despite all the political challenges \u2014 and we\u2019ve got to maintain that space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not all council members were convinced roadway expansion is the long-term answer. Councilman Charlie Miranda said while he supports the project\u2019s immediate goals, Tampa must rethink how it moves people as the city grows.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re building for today\u2019s necessity, not forever,\u201d Miranda said. \u201cAnd unless we change the model of transportation, we will fail.\u201d<\/p>\n
With design nearing completion, THEA says residents can expect to see more survey crews and construction equipment moving into place in the coming weeks. Community open houses have already begun, with additional meetings planned to keep neighbors informed ahead of construction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Crews are already positioning equipment and completing preliminary work, with construction expected to begin this spring. TAMPA, Fla.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-161749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}