TAMPA, Fla. — Columbus Drive will soon be upgraded to help reduce speeding, eliminate wrong-way driving and provide better on-street parking.
The project will change Columbus Drive from 14th Street to Nebraska Avenue. Ultimately, this will help in providing access to and between the Ybor City and East Tampa neighborhoods for drivers, transit riders, trucks, bicyclists and pedestrians.
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A first phase of work is slated for next year, when Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa will work together to add on-street parking while the roads are resurfaced.
Though the roads will continue to be one-way, some lanes will shift, and as a result, painting a solid center line should be relatively easy when additional funding is identified for new traffic signals, according to the Hillsborough MPO.
The idea is to be able to slow traffic enough to force drivers to go the 30 mile per hour speed limit, according to city leaders.
The City of Tampa is still considering whether or not to eliminate on-street parking on the North side of Columbus Drive from 14th St. to Nebraska Avenue, but keep it on the South side of that section of road. They plan to announce their decision sometime in May after weighing public comments from residents and businesses.
To learn more about the project, visit the Columbus Drive Project Page.
