Kennedy Boulevard

Report: Kennedy may cater to walkers

A study outlines ways Kennedy Boulevard could be more attractive and inviting to pedestrians.

By SUSAN THURSTON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 21, 2003

The pictures and drawings show a gentler, friendlier Kennedy Boulevard.

Gone are the crumbling sidewalks and overhead utility wires.

Instead, shade trees line the street and palms decorate medians. Brick crosswalks invite pedestrians and slow cars.

Those improvements are among several outlined in a recent study of Kennedy -- Tampa's gateway to downtown. The Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization commissioned the report last summer to look at ways to make Kennedy more functional and attractive.

At a public workshop Monday night, consultants described a list of proposed changes, from new turn lanes at intersections to bus shelters and street lights. A final report is due in May.

About 15 people attended to look at the plans and give suggestions. About two dozen attended the first workshop March 11.

The MPO will seek federal money for the bulk of improvements, estimated at $10-million to $25-million. Short-term improvements, such as new sidewalks and landscaping, could appear in the next few years. Changes to intersections could take several years.

The study recommends planting trees along both sides of Kennedy from Ashley Drive to Memorial Highway. In previous meetings, residents overwhelmingly preferred shade trees over palms to make it cooler for strolling the sidewalks.

Architects propose creating landscaped medians with drought-resistant medjool date palms and bushes near major intersections, such as Howard Avenue. To help pedestrians, intersections would get brick crosswalks.

"We want to make sure pedestrians rule," said Phil Graham, a landscape architect who worked on the study. "Right now automobiles rule."

The study, which covers 4.2 miles of Kennedy, divides the street into the east and west ends. Kennedy east of Willow Avenue would have historic-looking street lights, garbage cans and water fountains. The west end toward West Shore Boulevard would have more contemporary ones.

"It's kind of important that we pay respect to the different characters," Graham said. "We want to cherish and celebrate those elements that make Tampa what it is."

Adding bus shelters would be another priority for the street, which averages between 32,000 and 48,000 vehicles a day.

Kennedy has 60 bus stops but only one shelter, said Joel Rey, a transportation planner with Tindale-Oliver & Associates. And of those 60, only 12 meet preferred standards for wheelchairs.

Planners recommend putting arbor-like shelters in heavily used stops and information kiosks in others. Many stops also need wider sidewalks so disabled passengers don't have to cross grass or dirt to board the bus.

To increase ridership, the MPO is working with HARTline to add a rush-hour express service between WestShore Plaza and downtown. A midday shuttle service could be reinstated to serve the lunch crowd.

The report also suggests:

-- Adding sidewalks along sections of Cleveland Street, one block south of Kennedy;

-- Adding a northbound lane on Dale Mabry Highway at Kennedy;

-- Adding a left-turn lane on Memorial at Kennedy;

-- Reducing portions of Azeele Street east of Dale Mabry from four to two lanes with a landscaped median and bike lane;

-- Creating an east-west bike route using North A, North B, Cleveland, Platt and Azeele streets.

The few residents who attended Monday's meeting generally supported the improvements provided they don't interfere with the nearby homes.

"It's something that should have been done 40 years ago," said Bob Williers of Beach Park.

-- Susan Thurston can be reached at 226-3394 or thurston@sptimes.com .

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