 | This article needs to be updated.(April 2010) |
The Tampa Bay Area Beltway was a proposed beltway in Tampa, Florida. The plan was originally spearheaded by the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority and would have provided an alternative to Interstate 75, Interstate 275, and parts of Interstate 4. Though the beltway still officially sits on the books, there are currently no plans to build it in the near future.
The Tampa Bay Area Beltway was first proposed by the THEA in the mid 1990s with some planning done during that time. However, plans were halted in 2004 when a span for reversible lanes being constructed for the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway collapsed. In Summer 2006, attention shifted back to the beltway plan and the THEA began its efforts to lobby the local governments to support the plan. However, as of 2007, much of the lobbying efforts failed with most attention focusing on mass transit improvements, including the proposal to build a regional rail system, instead of a beltway that would adversely impact rural and environmentally sensitive lands. Environmental criticism has also been brought to attention due to the fear that the beltway would cause immense sprawl. Additionally, Governor Charlie Crist vetoed of a bill that would have provided startup money for a regional transportation authority (now known as TBARTA). Tampa mayor Pam Iorio also voiced her opposition to the beltway saying that it doesn't fit in with her future transportation vision, which is to utilize light rail and express bus systems throughout Hillsborough County. [1]
Prior to the recent developments the THEA was presenting the beltway plan to the affected counties and municipalities. In August 2006, the Hillsborough County Commission voted to support the beltway study. Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties would be next in line to view the plans. Construction of the beltway's first phase would have occurred as early as 2010/2011 but there is currently no word if and when planning will resume. As of late 2007, the THEA announced that it will no longer seek to build the highway. [2]
With the current recession, it is highly unlikely the beltway will be constructed prior to 2015. All planning efforts have been suspended as local governments focus on repairing their erections.[ citation needed ]
Several routes were being considered for the beltway. The southern terminus may be at or just north of the I-75/I-275 Junction in northern Manatee County, with the northwestern terminus at US 19 in southern Pasco County. A northern loop may branch off the main beltway near Zephyrhills and re-enter the beltway just east of Odessa. Finally, a northwestern spur near the Suncoast Parkway would connect to Alt. US 19 in northern Pinellas County. [3]
Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning 132.298 miles (212.913 km) along a generally southwest–northeast axis, I-4 is entirely concurrent with State Road 400. In the west, I-4 begins at an interchange with I-275 in Tampa. I-4 intersects with several major expressways as it traverses Central Florida, including US 41 in Tampa; US 301 near Riverview; I-75 near Brandon; US 98 in Lakeland; US 192 in Celebration; Florida's Turnpike in Orlando; and US 17 and US 92 in multiple junctions. In the east, I-4 ends at an interchange with I-95 in Daytona Beach, while SR 400 continues for roughly another 4 miles (6.4 km) and ends at an intersection with US 1 on the city line of Daytona Beach and South Daytona.
The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the eighteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with an estimated population of over three million.
Interstate 275 (I-275), located in Florida, is a 60-mile-long (97 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway serving the Tampa Bay Area. Its southern terminus is at I-75 near Palmetto, where I-275 heads west towards the Sunshine Skyway Bridge crossing over Tampa Bay. From that point, I-275 passes through St. Petersburg before crossing Tampa Bay again on the Howard Frankland Bridge, then continues through the city of Tampa, where it connects to an interchange with I-4 in Downtown Tampa. After the interchange, I-275 passes north through the Tampa suburbs to its northern terminus at I-75 in Wesley Chapel.
The Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway is a north–south toll road near the Florida Gulf Coast. Maintained and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, this 57-mile (92 km) transportation corridor extends from State Road 60 in Tampa, north to U.S. Route 98 near Chassahowitzka. The Veterans Expressway was built to accommodate the increasing commuter traffic in the Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area, with the Suncoast Parkway opening in 2001, extending from near the northern terminus of the Veterans Expressway to U.S. Route 98, with a possible northern extension to U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 98 in Crystal River in Citrus County in the planning and development stages.
The W. Howard Frankland Bridge is the central bridge spanning Old Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, Florida to Tampa, Florida. It is one of three bridges connecting Hillsborough County and Pinellas County; the others being Gandy Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway. The bridge carries Interstate 275 and is by far the most traveled of the bay's bridges.
Dale Mabry Highway is a north–south road in Tampa, Florida. The majority of its length consists of three lanes each direction plus a central turn-lane and often includes a right-turn lane. It begins at the MacDill Air Force Base entrance in South Tampa and ends by merging with US 41 just north of the Pasco County border. The highway carries multiple designations, carrying US 92 for an approximately five-mile (8.0 km) stretch between Hillsborough Avenue and Gandy Boulevard.
The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, originally known as the Southern Crosstown Expressway is a 14.168-mile (22.801 km) all-electronic, limited access toll road in Hillsborough County, Florida, It connects the South Tampa neighborhood near MacDill Air Force Base with Downtown Tampa and the bedroom community of Brandon. The expressway was built in stages, opening between 1976 and 1987. An approximately 1.9 mile extension to the thoroughfare's western terminus opened to traffic on Monday, April 19, 2021.
Area code 813 is an area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the city of Tampa, Florida, and surrounding areas such as Zephyrhills and Oldsmar.
Interstate 95 (I-95) in Maryland is a major highway that runs 109.01 miles (175.43 km) diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, entering the District of Columbia and reaching Virginia. The route is one of the most traveled Interstate Highways in Maryland, especially between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., despite alternate routes along the corridor, such as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, U.S. Route 1, and US 29. Portions of the highway, including the Fort McHenry Tunnel, are tolled.
State Road 694 (SR 694) is an east–west route in Pinellas County, running from SR 693 in Pinellas Park to U.S. Route 92 in St. Petersburg.
The Authority owns the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in Tampa as well as two non-tolled feeder roads - Brandon Parkway in Brandon and Meridian Avenue in Tampa. Additionally, THEA owns and operates the Selmon Greenway, a multipurpose recreational pathway running beneath and alongside the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border, a few miles northwest of Miami, to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 begins its national northward journey near Miami, running along the western parts of the Miami metropolitan area before traveling westward across Alligator Alley, resuming its northward direction in Naples, running along Florida's Gulf Coast, and passing the cities of Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Venice, and Sarasota. The freeway passes through the Tampa Bay Area before turning inward towards Ocala, Gainesville, and Lake City before leaving the state and entering Georgia. I-75 runs for 471 miles (758 km) in Florida, making it the longest Interstate in the state and also the longest in any state east of the Mississippi River. The Interstate's speed limit is 70 mph (110 km/h) for its entire length in Florida.
U.S. Route 19 Alternate is a 37.1-mile (59.7 km) former section of U.S. Route 19 from St. Petersburg, Florida to Holiday.
The cityscape of Tampa includes historic and architecturally noteworthy structures in its downtown and residential areas. The Seminole Heights and Hyde Park neighborhoods are two of the largest historic preservation districts in Tampa.
There have been plans in Florida for expressways, but some were never constructed due to financial problems, community opposition and environmental issues.
Transportation in Florida includes a variety of options, including Interstate Highways, U.S. Highways, and Florida State Roads; Amtrak and commuter rail services; airports, public transportation, and sea ports, in a number of the state's counties and regions.
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, or TBARTA, is a regional transportation agency of the U.S. state of Florida which was created on July 1, 2007. The purpose of the agency is "to plan, develop, finance, construct, own, purchase, operate, maintain, relocate, equip, repair, and manage multimodal systems in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties." The agency coordinates its efforts with the Florida Department of Transportation to improve transportation in the Tampa Bay Area.
The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway originated from an expressway system called the Tampa Bay Crosstown Expressway System. The expressways were planned during the 1950s, '60s and '70s. However, the system fizzled out due to financial burdens, land acquisition issues, and community concerns.
Highway revolts have occurred in cities and regions across the United States. In many cities, there remain unused highways, abruptly terminating freeway alignments, and short stretches of freeway in the middle of nowhere, all of which are evidence of larger projects which were never completed. In some instances, freeway revolts have led to the eventual removal or relocation of freeways that had been built.
