TAMPA, Fla. — A series of new traffic safety upgrades, including several pedestrian crossings, are set to be constructed in Tampa's Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights communities through the Heights Mobility Study.
The idea is to make the area safer and more pedestrian and bike-friendly for people who live, work, and drive through this corridor.
The Heights Mobility Study is an effort to improve safety and mobility in the Greater Seminole Heights/Tampa Heights area, especially, along the Florida Avenue and Tampa Street/Highland Avenue corridor between downtown Tampa and the Hillsborough River. Additionally, the Study Team will work with the community to develop a long-term vision for transportation improvements in the area.
According to some of the latest presentations, several pedestrian crossings will be located along Florida Avenue, Nebraska Avenue and Tampa Street.
Florida Avenue: (all constructed in 2022)
▪ Wilder Avenue (will have traffic signal)
▪ Giddens Avenue
▪ Idlewild Avenue (will have traffic signal)
▪ Knollwood Street (will have traffic signal)
Tampa Street: (all constructed in 2022)
▪ 7th Avenue (will have traffic signal)
▪ Chelsea Avenue
Nebraska Avenue: (all constructed in 2024)
▪ Idlewild Avenue (Publix)
▪ Seward Street
▪ Juneau Street
▪ E. Bryan Stree
▪ 11th Avenue
One of the biggest improvements would be along Nebraska Avenue at Idlewild in 2024. That location has two very busy HART bus stops, with one located on each side of the street. It's also the location of the historic Hampton Terrace Neighborhood.
Brian Frey with the Hampton Terrace Community Association said these safety changes are long overdue.
"There was an accident there, I believe about a week or two ago that went into the Hampton Station parking lot," he said. "It's very possible that a crosswalk there would be advantageous for pedestrians as well as hopefully, to slow traffic down a little further."
The City of Tampa, FDOT and HART are also working to try and make several drainage improvements in this corridor as flooding continues to be a regular problem.
Bicyclists can also expect several bike safety improvements, including traffic-calming measures and "bicycle boulevards."
There is a public workshop scheduled about all of these projects at the Tampa River Center at Julian B. Lane Park, located at 402 W. Laurel St., Tampa, FL 33607, on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
