Tampa Bay Express (TBX)

Florida Department of TransportationDistrict Seven

Presentation Agenda

• Introduction

• What is Tampa Bay Express?

• Why is it needed?

• What are the benefits?

• How does it work?

• How did we get here?

• Where are we today?

FDOT District 7

• 5 Counties• 5 Interstates• >500 miles of state roads• >40 Municipalities• >40 Airports• 2 Seaports• 1 Rail Line

Howard FranklandBridge

Existing CongestionUrban Area

Travel Delay(1000 hrs) Rank

Excess Fuel(1000 gal)

Truck Congestion($Million)

Total Congestion

Cost ($ Million)

San Jose, CA 104,559 1 43,972 240 2,230

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 99,710 2 38,542 327 2,196

Riverside-San Bernadina, CA 99,058 3 30,732 361 2,201

Denver-Aurora, CA 91,479 4 44,922 319 2,061

Baltimore, MD 87,620 5 38,661 427 2,075

Portland, OR 72,341 6 39,611 375 1,763

Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL 71,628 7 31,654 237 1,589

St. Louis, MO-IL 69,350 8 32,991 328 1,637

San Antonio, TX 64,350 9 28,809 251 1,462

Las Vegas, NV 64,328 10 30,001 158 1,375

AVERAGE COMMUTER SPENDS 1 ADDITIONAL WEEK AND $900 PER YEAR ON DELAY.

Source: 2015 Urban Mobility Report, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Source: Tampa Bay Regional Planning Model, 2016

A Growing Region

• Population

– Hillsborough: +48%

– Pasco: +97%

– Polk: +41%

• Employment

– Hillsborough: +56%

– Pasco: +200%

– Polk: +45%

Population Growth from 2010 to 2040

Major Activity Center

Future Congestion

75

125

175

225

275

325

375

I-4 I-275

North

I-275

West

I-75

North

Howard

Frankland

Bridge

I-75

South

I-275

Pinellas

EXCEEDS

CAPACITY

2012

2040

2012

2040

2012

2040

2012

2040

2012

2040

2012

2040

2012

2040

Source: Tampa Bay Express Lanes Master Plan, 2016

Vehicle Trips (Thousands)

Transit Impact on Highway Traffic

• Nationwide, 5-6% of commuters take transit

• 200,000 vehicles/day travel I-275 and I-4

• Even if 10% took transit (20,000 vehicles)

• We would still be CONGESTED.

WE NEED IT ALL!!

Connectivity• USF/Innovation District

• Downtown Tampa

• Westshore Business District

• Tampa International Airport

• Pinellas County and Beaches

• Brandon

• Plant City

• Polk County

Regional Mobility

• Better Interchange Design

• Transit Opportunities

• Economic Development

• Congestion Management

• System Reliability

Commuter Choice

Artist’s Rendering

Artist’s Rendering

Actual Billboards

FDOT Investment in Transit

• Median Transit Corridor on I-4 and I-275• Express Bus in Express Lane Study ($200K)• HART’s Express Bus Service in Express Lanes ($3M/5 Year)• Downtown Tampa Multimodal Site ($3.9M in 2006)• TIA’s Automated People Mover ($194M in 2013)• Westshore Regional Multimodal Site ($45M in 2016)• HART’s Regional Premium Transit Feasibility Study ($1.5M)• Tampa’s TECO Line Streetcar Extension Study ($1M) • HART’s Kennedy Blvd. Metro Rapid Corridor Study ($2.5M)• State Block Grant to HART ($24.2M/Five Year)

OVER $275 MILLION

Reconnecting Communities

• I-275 at SR 60 Interchange in Westshore– Reo Street– Occident Street– Trask Street

• I-275 at I-4 in Downtown Tampa– Design Charrettes to identify opportunities

for connectivity– Robles Park

• Bicycle and Pedestrian Amenities• Complete Streets Opportunities• Lighting Improvements

How does it work?

Access Points

Cost and Funding

• Construction Cost Estimate: $3.3 billion

• State Highway Trust Fund

• Tolls

Gross Revenue

Operating and Maintenance

Debt Service

Renewal and Replacement

Excess Revenue

Toll Revenues (Florida Statute 338.166)

Economic Impact

• Jobs Creation: over 92,000 (Federal Highway Administration, 2007 update)

• Return on Investment: $14.5 billion (FDOT, Macroeconomic Analysis of Florida’s Transportation Investment, January 2015)

FDOT has been implementing interstate plan since the 1990s.

Why Express Lanes?

• Original Typical

• Today’s typical

• Bullets

Existing

General

Use Lanes

Existing

General

Use Lanes

Proposed

Express

Lanes

Proposed

Express

Lanes

Future

Transit

Corridor

I-275 from Westshore to Downtown

Plan Consistency

• Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Long Range Transportation Plan

• Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) Master Plan

• FDOT Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) 10 Year Plan

Original Community Commitments

• Bicycle/Pedestrian

• Construction Techniques

• Noise Barriers

• Historic Resources

• Urban Design Guidelines

• Tampa Heights Greenway

• Multimodal Center

Urban Design Guidelines

• Fulfilled or Nearly Fulfilled– I-4 through Ybor City

– I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector

– I-275 through West Tampa

• To be fulfilled– Downtown Tampa

– Tampa Heights

– Seminole Heights

– Westshore

Historic PreservationBefore

During

After

Historic PreservationBefore

Interior Renovations

After

Greenways and Trails

• Tampa Heights Greenway from Columbus Avenue to Waterworks Park

• Connecting gaps through Westshore Business District in partnership with City of Tampa

Greenway along I-275 Artist’s Rendering of Tampa Heights Greenway Courtney Campbell Causeway Trail

Where are we today?

Where are we today?

Right of Way Acquisition Estimate

• Westshore Interchange (I-275/SR 60):

– Commercial 29

– Residential 0

– Vacant 1

• Downtown Tampa Interchange (I-275/I-4)

– Commercial 29

– Residential 125

– Vacant 34

Ten-thousands of NewslettersNumerous Ads and Articles in the NewspaperHundreds of Meetings and PresentationsThousands of Persons View the Website each Month

Community Design Charrettes

• USF Florida Center for Community Design and Research (FCCD+R)

• Downtown Tampa, Tampa Heights, West River, VM Ybor, and Seminole Heights

• Round 1: Oct 2015-Jan 2016 (9 sessions)

• Round 2: Jan 2016-Mar 2016 (8 sessions)

• Round 3: Mar 2016-Jun 2016 (7 sessions)

Round 3 SummaryDesign Strategies

Transit Options

Neighborhood Goals and Objectives• Transform the one-way pair by incorporating a lane of

dedicated transit such as Bus Rapid Transit or streetcar• Transit access and circulation from downtown to

greater USF area• Improved sidewalks and crosswalks on Tampa Street

Florida Avenue • Improved streetscape throughout the corridor• Improved pedestrian lighting• Better traffic light sequencing through out the corridor • Make improvements before construction begins to

maintain neighborhood value

Neighborhood Concerns/Needs• Current one-way pair, Tampa Street and Florida

Avenue, does no support local business• Traffic is fast moving on Tampa Street and Florida

Avenue• Sidewalks are narrow and provide little pedestrian

amenity on Tampa Street and Florida Avenue• Not viewed as “neighborhood” streets

Connectivity

Neighborhood Goals and Objectives

• Increase neighborhood connections under the interstate

• Safe, pedestrian friendly connections through underpasses

• Pedestrian-scaled lighting through underpasses

• Preserve neighborhood character

• No sloping walls at underpasses

Neighborhood Concerns/Needs

• Lack of community connectivity due to the interstate

• Loss of property value in the neighborhood

• Underpasses feel unsafe

• Homeless people loitering under interstate underpasses

Street Coridoor Design

Neighborhood Goals and Objectives

• Convert Columbus to two-way within the neighborhood

• Slow traffic on Columbus Drive

• Enhance crosswalks

• Maintain landscaping

• Include pedestrian-scaled lighting along the street and through the underpass

Neighborhood Concerns/Needs

• Traffic is too fast for the neighborhood

• Unsafe to cross for pedestrians

• Columbus Drive is one-way in some locations

Public Realm Enhancements

Neighborhood Goals and Objectives

• Establish a wide pedestrian path alongside North BLVD under the elevated interstate

• The path needs to be safe, buffered from the street and traffic

• Pedestrian-scaled lighting should run the entire length

• Enhance all crosswalks and signals

• Signage for pedestrian safety for vehicle traffic

• Establish an Education Overlay District to ensure student safety

• Include shade trees along the entire path

Neighborhood Concerns/Needs

• Lack of community connectivity due to the interstate

• Underpasses feel unsafe and are very dark, poorly lit

• Lack of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure

• Many students walk and have bus stops along North Blvd and proposed ramp location

• Fast moving traffic exiting the interstate at North Blvd

• Heavy traffic at North BLVD on/off ramp location

Mitigation

Over Arching Neighborhood Concerns and Goals

Transit across Neighborhoods Added traffic to local streets in the neighborhoods

due to construction

Added traffic wanting to “cut-through” is unsafe for

pedestrians, bicyclists, and school children

Disruption to local businesses

Mass transit could alleviate traffic congestion and

therefore reduce the Tampa Bay Express Plan

Provide efficient transit options to connect the

urban core neighborhoods to the three

employment centers – downtown, West Shore, and

USF area

Support and encourage local business development

on Florida Ave. & Tampa St. by providing access for

local residents

Community sensitive

construction methods

Noise due to construction

Historical property damage

Added dust and air pollution due to construction

Vacant land/property left unmaintained

Utilize auger piles instead of traditional pile driving

Plant trees before construction begins in areas

where appropriate

Do not purchase properties maintain community

cohesion and values until the plan is finalized in

order

Maintenance Will areas adjacent to the interstate and

improvements be maintained

Coordination with the local agencies is underway

Concerns Goals

New Community Commitments-Transit

• Enhanced transit service during construction

– Working with HART

• Express buses and public school bus have toll-free access to express lanes

New Community Commitments-Connectivity and Street Corridor Design

• Enhanced pedestrian connectivity and safety under some overpasses

– Enhanced lighting

– Straight vs. slanted walls

– Overpasses to accommodate complete street elements

• Potential new connections

New Community Commitments-Public Realm Enhancements

• Robles Park

– Working with City of Tampa

• Underpass Plaza between northern downtown and Tampa Heights

• Landscaping

– Working with City of Tampa

• Pond at I-275/MLK

• Relocation of Community Garden

Stay Involved

• Local Outreach Office-Open since 3/28/16

• Community Design Charrettes-To be completed June 2016 (Public Summary-June 7, 2016)

• Library Tour-May 2016 (Starting May 3, 2016)

• Small Group Presentations-May-June 2016

www.tampabayexpress.com

FDOT West Central-Tampa Area @myFDOT_Tampa FDOT District 7

TO SCHEDULE FUTURE PRESENTATIONS, CONTACT:

SAFETY DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.

Chris SpeeseOutreach Coordinator

Christopher.Speese@dot.state.fl.us813.975.6405