Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 1-22-16 Edition

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Tampa Express Lanes Project Listed Among 12 Worst Highway Projects Across The Country
BILL NEWTON FL Consumer Action Network Director
CHRISTOPHER VELA Sunshine Citizens President
This Tampa Heights community This is an artist’s rendering of what the completed toll road project center would be forced to shut down if will look like.
the project moves forward.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the Metropolitan Planning Organi- zation (MPO), and the Tampa Express Lanes High Project offi- cials have been hosting a series of public meetings about their proposed toll lane highway pro- posed for Tampa.
Calling it a waste of $3.3 bil- lion in taxpayer dollars, the Florida Consumer Action Net- work (FCAN), Sunshine Citi- zens, United Residents For Better Neighborhoods (URBN), and representatives with the Tampa Heights Junior Civic As- sociation have been opposed to
the project from the beginning, and site the destructive impact the project would have on the Tampa Heights community as a reason for it to not move for- ward.
Bill Newton, Executive Di- rector of FCAN Foundation, said Tampa is not alone when it comes to these kind of projects.
“There is a national report that talks about other cities being forced into these projects. It’s just a big waste of money and it won’t solve the problem of congestion. As a matter of fact it will make things worse.
“I’m not sure about any legal process that can stop the project, but I know the issue of funding the project was raised. None of
us feel FDOT will have a prob- lem coming up with the funds.”
Newton said the concept is old fashioned, and toll roads are a thing of the past and have no place in today’s society.
Christopher Vela, Presi- dent of Sunshine Citizens said, together with a coalition of like- minded Tampa residents, neigh- borhood associations and business owners, they are mobi- lizing for their first action aimed at persuading the MPO of Hills- borough County to remove the FDOT project from the five-year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).
“FDOT has claimed that their plan allows for congestion relief on the highway corridors of I-
275 and I-4. When asked as to what data was used to develop the use of express toll lanes on the federal interstate roadways, FDOT cites their only other sim- ilar installation of express toll lanes in South Florida.
Vela said there is increasing evidence of less safety and in- creased hazards with the South Florida project.
“The roadways being touted as basis for this project are in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Miami. None of them are com- parable models.
“We are opposed to this proj- ect, because it does not present a viable economically sound plan for addressing the transporta- tion needs of the Tampa Bay
region.”
Newton said Florida contin-
ues to prioritize wasteful high- way expansion projects that fail to effectively address congestion while under-investing in critical transit services that the commu- nity is demanding.
Lena Young-Green, who has been adamant about raising opposition to this project, said she will reserve comment at this time, and concentrate more on the future of the community center that started five years ago.
Vela said in his opinion, the project is a disastrous travesty that will cost the community bil- lions, not provide solutions or relieve congestion, and will fur- ther tax residents.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 13-A