With federal money looking unlikely, traffic-clogged roads such as Bruce B. Downs may have to wait in line a little longer for funding.
By MICHAEL VAN SICKLER
Published May 30, 2003
CROSS CREEK - The quickest way to get consensus in New Tampa is to propose the widening of its two main boulevards - Cross Creek and Bruce B. Downs - as a way to relieve gridlock.
It would be hard to find elected officials, who have already set aside $40-million to widen Bruce B. Downs, who would disagree with those two projects.
So why were county and city officials so dour during a Tuesday night transportation task force meeting?
Why else? Money.
The widening of Bruce B. Downs from Bearss Avenue to County Line Road is expected to cost $168-million. Neither the county nor the city has enough money to pay for the project, which would increase the lanes from four to eight, in at least the next five years.
Officials had hoped the federal government would kick in a massive chunk, but that's looking increasingly unlikely, said Tom Thomson, the county's director of transportation.
The state DOT is getting $180-million less a year for road projects from Washington, Thomson said.
"The federal outlook is very poor right now," Thomson said.
The project is now slated to begin in 2008, but money needs to be found fast to meet even that deadline. With the Metropolitan Planning Organization giving top priority to widening 40th Street in central Tampa, Bruce B. Downs may have to wait in line a little longer.
The news isn't much better for Cross Creek, a busy two-lane road that stacks up during rush hour.
The city already is set to design the road for the expansion, and that should take about six months, said Taha Ataya, the city's management scheduling engineer.
Officials want to begin the $1.6-million project by next year and finish by 2005. But, again, there's no money.
"We're scrambling to come up with funding," Ataya said.
The city hopes impact fees from new developments such as Live Oak and K-Bar will help cover some of the costs. But many of those fees are phased in after the houses are built.
Not only does the road's traffic annoy motorists, but it also poses a safety hazard to scores of children who walk to school. According to a study by the county about a month ago, more than 110 children were counted walking to school on a weekday.
That level is unusual for the suburbs, said Michael McCarthy, the traffic division director for the county's public works department. And it's all the more surprising, as the students must dodge traffic to get across Cross Creek.
A traffic signal at Kinnan Street would cost $320,000, which the county doesn't have right now. It hopes to get some of the money in a DOT grant, but it has yet to apply for it, and the deadline is in July.
Some of the residents who attended Thursday's meeting at the New Tampa Regional Library said they would favor taking some of the money reserved for Bruce B. Downs and spend it on Cross Creek.
"At least we'll have a remedy for one of our problems," said Don Nevins, of Pebble Creek. "We need it desperately. The people out here deserve it."
- Staff Writer Michael Van Sickler can be reached at (813) 269-5312 or mvansickler@sptimes.com
