TAMPA, Fla. — A multi-million dollar road improvement effort in Hillsborough County already got the green light, but after a vote on Wednesday, it will be starting earlier than planned.
FDOT and the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) are trying to help make things a little easier for pedestrians and motorists in Tampa.
A project bringing improvements along Tampa Street and Florida Avenue between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Tyler Street have already been approved, but today, the TPO unanimously voted to use that money earlier with the 2024 fiscal year budget.
Leaders of the $17.5 million project say today’s vote will jumpstart the design portion of the planning, so they don’t have to do it simultaneously with construction.
With improved safety options like new pedestrian crosswalks, curb modifications, lower speeds, lighting and more, they believe today’s vote will help prevent project delays.
People like Marcus Holmes, who works at Thee Burger Spot restaurant nearby, hope this will help avoid the kind of slowdowns seen with construction in the Seminole Heights area that have frustrated business owners and neighbors. He knows that with construction, traffic tends to get trickier.
“People will have a hard time maneuvering, getting in and out,” he said.
Project leaders hope that with this vote, the project will now wrap up six months early.
Holmes is anticipating growing pains during the project, but says if all goes well, it’s worth it.
“Money well spent, for sure,” he said.
Project leaders tell us you can expect to see actual construction in October of 2025, and the project is anticipated to wrap in 2026.