TRANSPORTATION CONSTRUCTION & LOGISTICS OVERVIEW
Bay. Last July, Gov. DeSantis signed off on a budget that included a record $2.5 million in funding for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) to develop the transit technologies of the future. TBARTA was established in 2007 to oversee the transport needs of Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas counties in coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The authority was designed to study and develop transit innovations and as of 2019, it manages a variety of services such as Vanpool, Carpool and BikeBuddy that promote decongestion and affordable transit for residents. In 2018, Tampa Bay’s transit authorities, including the HART, the Florida Department of FDOT, Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) and the Tampa Bay TMA Leadership Group, launched the Regional Transit Feasibility Plan that aims to optimize already high-performing assets such as the Wesley Chapel to St. Petersburg connection and Downtown Tampa to USF. Because of the high cost of the plan at almost $3 billion, the authorities decided to implement a smaller-scale catalyst project that would help stimulate the remainder of the plan. The final 41mile bus rapid transit will run from Downtown St. Petersburg to Wesley Chapel in the I-275 corridor and TBARTA will be the primary recipient of the plan and will be responsible for its implementation at a cost of $380 million-$455 million. But TBARTA is also overseeing much more innovative projects. In December, the agency was given the green light to go ahead with a $220,000 feasibility study on a potential hyperloop project in conjunction with Virgin Hyperloop One. Likely connections would be TampaOrlando or Tampa-Miami but the technology is still far from ready. This is part of a $1 million package allocated from the Florida Legislature to study and develop innovative transit opportunities that include Hyperloop, aerial gondolas and air taxis. Ride-sharing Tampa Bay desperately needs an innovative solution to its traffic problems that may be provided by the outside-the-box thinking of TBARTA. But there are questions over whether transit agencies go about their incentives in the right way. For example, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Agency began subsidizing Uber, United Taxi and Wheelchair Transport journeys for those taking public transport in an attempt to solve the “first mile-last mile” issue. The Direct Connect program provides a ridesharing service at a cost of just $1 to incentivize
David Green Executive Director Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA)
Why is TBARTA essential for fixing the transportation issues in Tampa Bay? If you ask people in Tampa Bay what the most important issue facing our region is, transportation is always No. 1. We have many problems related to transportation, including congestion and limited mobility options. All of this is the result of not having enough regional mass transit options for people to take advantage of. There was a study done a couple of years ago indicating 80% of Tampa Bay commuters are in single occupant vehicles. The reason people are in their cars alone is because they have no other choice. In addition, the study showed 20% of commuters in Tampa Bay travel outside of the county in which they live to get to work. That’s where the need for regional transit comes in, transit to get from major activity centers in one county to another, but there is very little of that right now in Tampa Bay. TBARTA’s role is to work with local transit operators to come up with viable solutions and mitigate these problems. What is the expected impact of the 41-mile BRT project connecting Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties? We’re calling that Regional Rapid Transit, or RRT. It’s a project that came out of a previous feasibility study called the Regional Transit Feasibility Plan. We looked at all the transit studies that had been completed in Tampa Bay for the past 40 years, and all the corridors that those studies covered to identify the most feasible corridor for a regional transit solution. This 41-mile RRT project covers service across three counties, and it’s a highway BRT utilizing the interstate as opposed to a traditional, arterial BRT. Regional Rapid Transit will be high quality transit with many of same features people want from light rail, but at a fraction of the cost. It’s quick, frequent, safe and reliable, a great alternative for commuters who do not want to get in their cars and drive by themselves in an hour’s worth of traffic to get to work. www.capitalanalyticsassociates.com
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