PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Regional Transit Authority is looking at creating a regional rapid transit line along US-19 through Pasco and Pinellas counties.
Business leaders say the route stretching from SR-52 to the Gateway Area in Pinellas County would connect people to anywhere from 26,000 to 52,000 jobs. The idea is if you improve the frequency of a reliable metro bus service, more people needing transportation would use it.
It's all part of TBARTA’S Envision 2030 plan — a plan to create a region-wide world-class transportation network within the next decade.
The US-19 route would be in partnership with FDOT, Forward Pinellas, the Pasco County Metropolitan planning organization, Go Pasco and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.
For now, the route is still just a plan, with things like cost, feasibility, ridership and travel time still being studied. TBARTA leaders are set to look at a preliminary concept on this plan next month.
After that, we should get a better idea if this rapid bus route could one day become a reality.