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Four east-west options described
By JOHN BALZ, Times Staff Writer HUNTER'S GREEN -- Drivers got their first look at four proposals for an east-west road Tuesday night that they hope will unplug the area's clogged traffic arteries. Officials from the City of Tampa's Transportation Division and the URS Corp. engineering consulting firm unveiled the plans at Benito Middle School. The first proposal, Corridor A, begins with an Interstate 275 interchange 1 mile north of the Livingston Avenue overpass. The 2.2-mile four-lane road extends southeast until it hits Bruce B. Downs Boulevard midway between Amberly Drive and the intersection of Bruce B. Downs and Interstate 75. Corridor B begins with the same interchange, but the 2.9-mile four-lane road extends northeast to connect with Commerce Park Boulevard in the West Meadows subdivision. The third proposal, Corridor C, begins farther north with interchanges onto I-275 and I-75 at County Line Road. The 2.2-mile stretch of County Line Road from the interchange to a point west of Livingston Avenue would be widened to four lanes. A fourth idea is not to build an east-west road. "These are all viable options right now," said Mahdi Mansour, a city transportation engineer. City officials plan to take public comments and technical analysis into consideration before choosing the best option in about a month. Tampa officials, with the Florida Department of Transportation, are five months into a 30-month study to assess the impacts of the road. At $82-million, the cost of land purchases and construction, Corridor C would be the most expensive. Corridor A would cost $50-million and Corridor B would cost $45-million. The city and developer Lennar Homes have already worked out the $14-million cost of right-of-way land purchases in Corridor B. Lennar has agreed to exchange the land for $14-million in transportation impact credits. Besides being the most expensive to build, Corridor C would also have the most impact on the environment and local businesses. Although it would affect fewer acres of wetlands than the other proposals, it would affect nearly double the floodplains and floodways. And more than 35 businesses would be affected, compared with just 12 for Corridor A and one for Corridor B. About 90 people attended the two-hour workshop, many wearing yellow "Build Our Road" stickers. Those who live in and around Cross Creek and Hunters Green tend to favor Corridor B. But many West Meadows residents oppose Corridor B, which drivers would reach by way of their main road, New Tampa Boulevard. That route also would create traffic around a Clark Elementary School and a community clubhouse. "We think it would be awful to have the corridor come through our development," said Nancy Bailey, 55, who lives in West Meadows. - John Balz can be reached at (813) 269-5313 or at balz@sptimes.com
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From the Times |
