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Bruce B. Downs Expansion Proposes Eight Lanes

at Cost of $172 Million

Scott Passmore, Project Manager for the Bruce B. Downs Boulevard expansion, will provide an update to the New North Transportation Alliance Advisory Board on Wednesday, January 11.

Passmore’s presentation will include the scope and schedule of the expansion of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard between Bearrs Avenue and County Line Road.

      Scott Passmore

The project design has three segments:

Segment 1: Palm Springs Boulevard to Pebble Creek Drive
Segment 2: Pebble Creek Drive to County Line Road
Segment 3: Bearss Avenue to Palm Springs Boulevard

The project proposes the widening of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard from the current four and six lanes to eight lanes with needed right and left turn lanes. A five-foot sidewalk will be provided on the west side of the roadway, and the existing ten-foot multi-use trail will be extended south to Bearss Avenue and north to County Line Road.

The first segment scheduled for construction is Segment 2 to be closely followed by Segment 1. Segment 3 is not currently funded for either right of way acquisition or construction. For further information, contact the New North Transportation Alliance.

Sandi Moody Named “Roads Scholar”

Sandi Moody, Executive Director of Bay Area Commuter Services (BACS), was awarded the Commuter Choice Roads Scholar Award under the Florida Commuter Choice Certificate Program. The Award was presented at the 2005 Commuter Choice Summit in Jacksonville, Florida on December 9.

“As a working transportation professional, I am happy to have had the opportunity to gain more knowledge concerning our field through this extremely valuable program offered by CUTR”, said Moody. “I’m happy to say that several of our staff members have earned their

     Sandi Moody     certificates, and I plan to have future BACS employees participate.”

The Florida Commuter Choice Certificate is offered by the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at USF and is sponsored and funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The training is directed at Florida Commuter Choice transportation professionals and others involved with the planning, management, funding, and/or oversight of transportation demand management (TDM).

The True Cost of Driving

Many commuters think of their daily driving costs in terms of “paying at the pump.” Forgotten are other costs associated with automobiles such as purchasing and maintaining a vehicle, insurance, registration and parking. Other costs of driving are road construction and maintenance that are paid for less directly through taxes and fees. Tampa Traffic

In addition, there are the hidden environmental and social costs that drivers and non-drivers pay to support the nation’s primary mode of transport—the automobile.

                                                                                                                 Tampa Traffic

According to AAA, the 2005 national average cost to drive 15,000 miles in a four-door sedan was $8,580 per year. Costs increase significantly for sports utility vehicles and vans. Detailed driving costs and calculators can be found at www.aaa.com.

Public Transportation and the growth of healthy neighborhoods where people can walk and bike to work help to reduce the dependence on driving. For information on how you can utilize a cost efficient and environmentally friendly mode of travel, please visit www.newnorthalliance.org

New HARTline Express Service Set to Begin January 23, 2006

Hartline will begin two new express routes serving the New Tampa area. The Route 51X and the Route 52X will begin service on Monday, January 23, 2006. Cost to ride the Express service is $2.50 each way. For further information, visit www.hartline.org.

Want to save money & make better use of your time by carpooling or vanpooling-
but don't know anyone to share the commute with?
We may be able to help! Join the regional rideshare database by following the link on the Commuter page of our website, www.newnorthalliance.org,  or by calling 813-974-9799 to speak with a New North Transportation Alliance representative.