RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Congestion relief for drivers in Hillsborough County took a step forward on Thursday with county commissioners formally asking transportation leaders to begin planning an expansion to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.
It would extend the Selmon Expressway from U.S. 301 to Big Bend Road — a length of about 10 miles. It would also look at an elevated corridor in the median of U.S. 301.
But don't get too excited yet — this is just the planning phase, and it'll take at least a year to finish, probably longer. From there, the plan will need to be approved before the proposed project can go any further.
Officials with the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA), Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) met to break down the concept and give estimates on cost and the timeline.
Commissioner Michael Owen then made the motion to take the following next steps:
- Request THEA to conduct a Project Development and Environment study (PD&E) for the corridor, including community outreach. This is expected to take 18 to 24 months from the date of procurements.
- Request THEA to conduct a detailed economic impact study — that'll take 12 months.
- Request TPO to add this project to the 2050 LRTP (long-range transportation plan) Cost Feasible Plan — This is currently in development and scheduled for adoption in the fall of 2024.
The motion carried 7-0, approving county staff to make those requests and move forward.
The PD&E study would include the impacts of congestion relief to south Hillsborough County, funding possibilities and other constraints and opportunities.
Here's the concept that was proposed, giving an idea of what the finished project could look like:
- 4-lane toll road (2 lanes in each direction)
- Elevated in the median along U.S. 301
- Slip ramps for on/off movements from the expressway to U.S. 301
- Reconstruction or widening of U.S. 301 to accommodate the elevated section
- Interchange improvements at Selmon Expressway
- Flyover movement at Bloomingdale Avenue to enhance intersection operations
THEA has divided the project into three separate segments:
- Segment 1: Selmon Expressway to Bloomingdale Avenue, a length of about 2.7 miles
- Segment 2: Bloomingdale Avenue to Gibsonton Drive, a length of about 2.8 miles
- Segment 3: Gibsonton Drive to Big Bend Road, a length of about 4.5 miles
While transportation leaders didn't commit to a timeline of when this project would be completed, during their presentation, 2045 was listed as the projected date when this and other projects — such as U.S. 301, U.S. 41 and Interstate 75 — would be finished.
The project could cost $1.8 billion, according to transportation leaders. But most of that will be funded by toll revenue, THEA said.
That doesn't mean it will take more than 20 years to complete, leaders said.
THEA estimates drivers could save up to 30 minutes of commute time during peak rush hour going from the current end of the Selmon to the Big Bend Road expansion.