• Active Study

Project Overview

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 will hold an Alternatives Public Workshop on Thursday, June 15, 2023 from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm to present the proposed improvements being considered and allow the public to express concerns and make comments to be included in the project files.


If you would like to attend virtually via GoToWebinar, please click the link below to register:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6233024096446444636


The in person Alternatives Public Workshop will be held at:

University Mall (2nd Floor)
2200 E. Fowler Avenue
Tampa, FL 33612

For more information on the Alternatives Public Workshop,
please visit the “Alternatives Public Workshop” page.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Seven is conducting a Project Development & Environment (PD&E) Study for Fowler Avenue/State Road (SR) 582 from N. Florida Avenue to west of N. 56th Street in Hillsborough County, Florida, a distance of approximately 4.0 miles.

The project limits are shown on the project location map below.

Project Location MapProject Location Map
(click image to view graphic)

Existing Conditions

Fowler Avenue is currently a four-lane facility from N. Florida Avenue to Interstate 275, an eight-lane divided facility between Nebraska Avenue (US 41) and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard (County Road (CR) 581)/N. 30th Street, and six-lanes divided elsewhere. Bicycle facilities are located adjacent to the travel lanes and pedestrian accommodations are locate adjacent, but separate from the travel lanes.

Existing ConditionFowler Avenue from Nebraska Avenue to west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
(click image to view graphic)

 

Existing ConditionFowler Avenue from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to west of N 56th Street
(click image to view graphic)

Fowler Avenue is classified as an urban principal arterial. It is also a critical evacuation route as designated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s evacuation route network.

The Fowler Avenue PD&E Study will evaluate transit alternatives from Nebraska Avenue to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and innovative intersections from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to Bull Run Drive. The transit corridor from Nebraska Avenue to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard would reconfigure Fowler Avenue to include one of three transit alternatives: Business Access and Transit Lane; Median Guideway; and Frontage Lane.  Intersection and bicycle and pedestrian safety is also being studied throughout the project limits.

The objective of the project is to develop and evaluate a “Build” alternative and provide the environmental and engineering analyses and documentation for the FDOT to reach a decision on the type, conceptual design, and location of the improvements. The “No-Build” or “No Action” alternative remains a viable option throughout the PD&E Study.

The PD&E Study will be finalized when the project documents are approved by the appropriate FDOT office(s). If a “Build” alternative is selected and funding is programmed, the project may then proceed to the next phases of project development, which includes the final design, right of way acquisition, and construction phases.

System Linkage

Fowler Avenue is an urban principal arterial that provides vital east-west connectivity between I-275 on the west end of the project corridor and I-75 just outside the project corridor to the east.  The 7.8-mile alignment of Fowler Avenue is from N. Florida Avenue to U.S. 301, a major U.S. route that runs from Sarasota, FL to Delaware.  The corridor is a regional east-west commuter route for residential communities that lie to the west (Forest Hills and Carrollwood) and east (Thonotosassa).

There are eight Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) routes that traverse Fowler Avenue in the study corridor (Routes 1, 400, 45, 12, 9, 5, 48 and 6) providing transit service to destinations throughout Hillsborough County.

There are also existing bicycle lanes and sidewalks on both sides of Fowler Avenue providing connectivity for individuals and bicyclists.

Safety

A total of 3,320 crashes were documented between 2015 and 2019 along this corridor. Approximately 56% were rear-end crashes, which is a crash type typically related to “stop-and-go driving” conditions and is indictive of traffic congestion, and approximately 20% were angle and left-turn crashes. Of the 3,320 total crashes, there were 53 severe crashes with nine fatalities and 46 incapacitating injuries.  A total of 120 of the total crashes involved a pedestrian or bicyclist, which includes the nine fatalities and 17 incapacitating injuries.  Refer to the graphics below for all crashes and crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists.

2015-2019 Five-year Crash Data - All Crashesclick image to view data

 

2015-2019 Five-year Crash Data - Pedestrians and Bicyclistsclick image to view data

 

Alternatives Under Consideration

From Nebraska Avenue to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard/N. 30th Street, three transit corridor alternatives will be analyzed independently during the PD&E Study.  All three alternatives include the conversion of the existing general purpose/continuous right turn lanes into transit prioritized/exclusive lanes to accommodate transit.  These transit alternatives include:

  1. Business Access Transit (BAT) Lane Concept
  2. Frontage Road Concept
  3. Median Guideway Concept
Refer to the following graphics developed for FDOT’s University Area Multimodal Feasibility Study for each transit alternative.  These alternatives will be further developed in accordance with this study as it progresses.

BAT Lane AlternativeBAT Lane Alternative
(click image to view graphic)

 

Frontage Road AlternativeFrontage Road Alternative
(click image to view graphic)

 

Median Guideway AlternativeMedian Guideway Alternative
(click image to view graphic)

 

From Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to Bull Run Drive, innovative intersection concepts will be analyzed. Innovative intersections may include partial Median U-Turns (MUT), Restricted Crossing U-Turns (RCUT), and/or other innovative designs.

Project alternatives will provide safety improvements and multi-modal accommodations along the Fowler Avenue project corridor from N. Florida Avenue to west of N. 56th Street.

Partnerships & Companion Studies

Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit (HART) Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) –
HART BRT Arterial Study (gohart.org)

Hillsborough County Planning Commission Fowler Avenue Vision Plan –
Fowler Avenue Vision Study | Plan Hillsborough

Tampa Bay Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) Regional Rapid Transit (RRT) –
Regional Rapid Transit | TBARTA

FDOT University Area Intermodal Center Study

FDOT N. 56th Street/ 50th Street Corridor Planning Study –
56th Street / 50th Street Corridor Planning Study (fdotd7studies.com)

Study Purpose and Need

Purpose of the study:

In the years 2015-2019 a total of 3,320 crashes occurred in the study corridor including:

  • 53 were severe crashes – 9 fatalities and 46 incapacitating injuries
  • 75% of all crashes were at 10 intersections in the corridor
  • 56% of all crashes were rear-end and 20% were angle/left turn

Pedestrian and Bicycle Crashes include:

  • 120 of all crashes involved a pedestrian or bicyclist
  • All 9 fatalities and 17 of the incapacitating injuries involved pedestrians and bicyclists resulting in 51% of all severe crashes
  • 68% of all crashes occurred at or near a signalized intersection
  • 73% of all pedestrian/bicycle crashes occurred between Nebraska Avenue and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard

Demographic data found in the FDOT Environmental Screening Tool identifies areas west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard both north and south of Fowler Avenue that have large populations with no or only one vehicle per household making these populations dependent on walking, bicycling and transit.  Additionally, the University of South Florida (USF), located on the corridor just east of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, is attended by over 24,000 students, many of whom commute along the corridor to the campus and many of whom live in student apartment housing surrounding the campus that walk, bicycle or rely on the USF student transit service, the Bull Runner.  Providing a safe, travel time reliant, transit, pedestrian and bicycle friendly facility is imperative to obtain Vision Zero objectives for the corridor.

What’s New?

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 is conducting a View the “What is a PD&E Study?” page PD&E Study for Fowler Ave (State Road 582).

An Alternatives Public Workshop is scheduled for June 15, 2023.

 

View the “Project Details” Page Read More

Send Us Your Comments

Your comments are very important. You may send us your comments via the Comments page on this website so that they can be considered as part of this study.

 

View the Comment Form Send Us Your Comments

Project Schedule

The Fowler Avenue PD&E Study began in June 2022. Public information/small group meetings will be held throughout the study. An Alternatives Public Workshop is scheduled for June 15, 2023. The study is expected to be completed by the 1st quarter 2024.

 

View the Project Schedule Read More

Contact Information

For more information or to comment, please contact:

 

Amber Russo, P.E., FDOT Project Manager
Florida Department of Transportation, District Seven
Planning & Environmental Management Office
11201 N. McKinley Drive M.S. 7-500
Tampa, FL 33612-6456

(813) 975-6260
(800) 226-7220
amber.russo@dot.state.fl.us


For media inquiries, please contact:

 

Kris Carson, Public Information Officer
Florida Department of Transportation, District Seven
11201 N. McKinley Drive M.S. 7-110
Tampa, FL 33612-6456

(813) 975-6060
(800) 226-7220
kristen.carson@dot.state.fl.us


Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Roger Roscoe, Title VI Coordinator, at (813) 975-6411 or toll-free at (800) 226-7220,or by email to: roger.roscoe@dot.state.fl.us


Comuniquese Con Nosotros

Si usted tiene preguntas o comentarios o si simplemente desea mas informacion sobre este proyecto, favor de ponerse en contacto con nuestro representante, el señor Manuel Flores, al teléfono (813) 975-4248 o correo electrónico manuel.flores@dot.state.fl.us.