The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Seven, in collaboration with Hillsborough County, is conducting a Project Development & Environment (PD&E) study along McIntosh Road from south of US 92 to north of I-4 in Hillsborough County.
Purpose and Need
The purpose of this project is to address projected capacity needs as well as to improve safety conditions of McIntosh Road and the I-4 interchange within the project area.
The project is needed to improve capacity, safety, and system linkage.
Transportation Demand / Capacity
The project is needed to improve the level of service / transportation capacity of McIntosh Road. McIntosh Road currently operates at Level of Service (LOS) F and based on 2020 AADT volumes, is forecasted to operate at LOS F in 2045 without any capacity or operational improvements. This analysis is based on the Generalized Service Volume Tables from the FDOT 2020 Quality/Level of Service Handbook and utilizes traffic forecasts from the McIntosh Road Interchange Study performed by FDOT in 2020.
Safety
The project is needed to increase the safety of the roadway to users of this facility. Between 2015 and 2019 the total number of crashes on McIntosh Road within the project area was 175. The historic average crash rate (10.23) for this segment of McIntosh Road was considerably higher than the statewide average (0.69) for similar facility types. This high comparative crash rate is likely due to the on- and off-ramps for I-4 which intersect McIntosh Road along the project segment which creates multiple conflict points for vehicles entering and exiting within the area. There are also multiple merge areas within the vicinity of these ramps.
System Linkage
The project is needed to support area connectivity and provide a connection between US 92 and I-4, which are both Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) designated evacuation routes that have high volumes of truck capacity. US 92 is major east-west facility that spans the entire state and provides relief for I-4, a Strategic Intermodal System facility, during major incidents. US 92 is also an important freight route and exhibits high volumes of trucks.
Proposed Improvements
McIntosh Road is currently a two-lane divided facility throughout the study limits. This project will evaluate the need for vehicular capacity improvements (e.g. roadway widening) along McIntosh Road from South of US 92 to North of I-4 and operational improvements at the I-4 interchange. The study will also evaluate the addition of bicycle and pedestrian improvements, e.g. bike lanes and sidewalks, along the study corridor.