through an undisclosed location
tommyNow that people are driving on the new Crosstown (and did you see the ridiculous coverage of the spectacle? Gosh!), it seems the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority has a bunch of time on their hands.
The Authority is drawing up plans to build a beltway east of Tampa. They have a presentation to Hillsborough County commissioners planned for next week.
The exact route is a secret, because the authority doesn’t want to pay inflated prices for the land. And I’m certain those that DO know wouldn’t go in and gobble it all up, right? Anyway, County Commissioner Jim Norman gave this possible route for the loop:
Starting at the junction of Interstate 75 and Interstate 275 in northern Manatee County, it would run east and then north, between Brandon and Plant City, at some point intersecting Interstate 4. It would turn west to the Suncoast Parkway in Pasco County, south on the parkway to Interstate 275, over the Sunshine Skyway and back to I-75.
Yeah – reading that and trying to envision it sorta gives me a headache. You have to go over it a couple times before you can even start. Wouldn’t it be easier to see on a map? I thought so. Thanks to the great people at Community Walk, I made one. Please take a look at my best guesstimate of a proposed beltway around Tampa Bay.
Hmmm… Remind me. Where does Norman want to build that $40M sports complex?
Tags: city, county, development, tampa, transportation
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July 27th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
I want an Escalade with spinners and a vintage Les Paul guitar, but I have no clear plan on paying for them. Guess what, NEITHER DOES T-HEA! (Notice how their acronym is similar to saying “tee-hee”?)
July 27th, 2006 at 5:01 pm
silly, just like the Iraq war it will pay for itself!
July 27th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Honestly, this is really needed. Just the New Tampa part… it’s such a pain to get from new tampa to 275.
July 27th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
I think a truly beneficial beltway would not impose itself on the already overcrowded Howard Franklin bridge. They should have the northwest loop swing over through Pinellas county down past the St Pete/Clearwater airport and merge with I-275 at Ulmerton Road. Personally I’d rather see the investment in improving and expanding the Mass Transit system to something that is actually a viable option to driving.
July 27th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Tim — Don’t forget there are still plans for the East-West Connector road in New Tampa. Most recently, the Tampa Tribune reported that the Florida Turnpike Authority is interested in building it.
But that road has been in the works for more than a decade now.
July 28th, 2006 at 9:06 am
As someone who lives on the North side of this proposed monstrosity, I would propose that it be attached to the Northern apex of 275/75. And from there run another leg to the end of the Vet’s at Dale. There’s already a stub there (at Vets/Dale) for such a thing.
July 28th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
[...] Thursday I tried to guess the route of the proposed beltway. I should have waited a day. While I was busy wasting time and energy with that, T-HEA released the exact planned route. The Tribune published the map at the top of today’s story. [...]
October 31st, 2006 at 2:35 pm
[...] This past summer, we were all witness to the grand spectacle of the Hillsborough Expressway Authority trying to launch a new sprawlway through the region. Along with Mayor Pam Iorio (and the Tampa Bay Partnership and Tampa International Airport) renewing a push for a regional rail system through the Tampa Bay area. Emphasis on the Tampa Bay regionalism of their presented interest. [...]
November 1st, 2006 at 11:15 am
[...] This past summer, we were all witness to the grand spectacle of the Hillsborough Expressway Authority trying to launch a new sprawlway through the region. Along with Mayor Pam Iorio (and the Tampa Bay Partnership and Tampa International Airport) renewing a push for a regional rail system through the Tampa Bay area. Emphasis on the Tampa Bay regionalism of their presented interest. [...]