Bruce. B Downs Transit Options
Back in 2003, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) completed a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study that determined Bruce B. Downs Boulevard should be widened to 8 lanes in Hillsborough County. County staff began design for eight lanes, leaving a 20 foot wide corridor on the east side of the roadway for future transit. The design of the road widening project is essentially complete, and almost ready for construction. In early 2009 the issue was raised as to whether the County should construct the road as an 8 lane or 6 lane roadway.
At the time there was not enough money to build this 8-lane project on Segment A, and there was concern about the traffic impacts of building Segment B/C without getting started on Segment A. Segment B/C is just north of here, from Palm Springs to Pebble Creek, and is now under construction. We looked at whether building 6 lanes here would be less expensive than 8 lanes, to see if Segment A could be started sooner.
The plans for rail have changed since the original Bruce B Downs widening project was conceived. Back in 2002, plans for rail showed it as far north as Skipper Road. More recently, Hillsborough’s Metropolitan Planning Organization in 2006 documented the need for rail up to the I-75 interchange area, to serve New Tampa developments and thousands of commuters. In 2008, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, or TBARTA, identified the need for a cross-county connection up to the also-rapidly-growing Wesley Chapel area. Questions began to be raised about whether and how rail would fit into Bruce B Downs north of Skipper Road. The MPO Board revised its long range plan, calling for 6 lanes plus rail on Segment A, rather than for 8 lanes.
For additional concerns/questions contact customer satisfaction at (813) 635-5400
