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Top road priorities remain the same
By SUSAN THURSTON, Times Staff Writer Motorists hoping to spend less time in traffic in New Tampa may get some relief this year. That's good news until you consider that some of the road work should have been done last year. Projects set for completion in 2001, such as the final leg of Cross Creek Boulevard to Morris Bridge Road, were postponed several months. But officials promise they will happen. In the meantime, several complicated studies are under way to determine what actually is needed to reduce congestion in fast-growing New Tampa. Top on the to-do list for 2002 is the opening of the Interstate 75 exit at State Road 56 in Pasco County. The exit was the priority for 2001, but weather-related delays and construction setbacks postponed it until this year, possibly by spring. Once completed, the road will give motorists in northern New Tampa and southern Pasco County another way to Interstate 75, taking a lot of traffic off busy Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Another spillover project from 2001 is the connection of Cross Creek to Morris Bridge. Developers built a segment of the road last year, but have yet to finish the remaining quarter-mile. City officials assure the connection will be done in the next few months. The paperwork is being processed and construction will start soon. "There's nothing holding it back," Mahdi Mansour of the city's transportation department said last month. The connection will allow motorists to get in and out of New Tampa using Cross Creek and Morris Bridge. The route will benefit many downtown commuters, especially those from Arbor Greene, Cross Creek and Heritage Isles who get stuck in traffic trying to reach the interstate using Bruce B. Downs. Motorists also can look forward to improvements to I-75 at the Bruce B. Downs exit. The city advanced the state money to build another lane for northbound traffic getting off in New Tampa. Construction will start this year. Other road-related progress will involve studies, the timely, but mandatory, precursors to construction. The city, county and state started various studies in 2001, most of which will continue throughout 2002. They involve: The widening of Bruce B. Downs from four to six lanes from Bearss Avenue to State Road 54 in Pasco County. The proposed east-west road linking Bruce B. Downs to Interstate 275. The study will review possible alignments, including one through West Meadows, and address potential impacts to the environment. A bridge over I-75 connecting New Tampa Boulevard in West Meadows and Commerce Park Boulevard in Tampa Palms.
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From the Times |
