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HART requires a new, fully functional, state of the art
maintenance facility.
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It feels as if Americans are collectively holding our breath
when it comes to our infrastructure: Slamming into a pothole, or driving over a
deficient bridge, or the sheer number of automobiles on our roads causing
traffic congestion are all infrastructure repair issues. The majority of our
citizens are in suspense, pondering if another infrastructure tragedy might
happen or if we will be unscathed one more day.
None of this is new. Our nation's infrastructure has been in
a slow-motion decline, right before our eyes, for decades.
HART shares similar infrastructure stumbling blocks as other transit systems across
the country, which can create tremendous obstacles for the Authority as we plan
for future growth. Some of these challenges include maintaining our maintenance
facility, busways, streetcar system, and updating our bus fleet to name a few.
The high cost of maintaining our infrastructure comes at the
expense of expansion to meet the real demand for public transportation in
Hillsborough County. How to strike a balance between high capital costs for
infrastructure repair and the need for service expansion remains a primary
concern. The answer is an investment in safety measures and modernization, as
well as,
identifying long-term sustainable and reliable funding sources.
Our
transit system needs a viable and reliable long-term capital funding source.
What could increased capital investment in our county fund? According to the
American Public Transportation Association (APTA), every billion dollars
invested in public transportation supports and creates more than 50,000 jobs.
Another excellent example of the impact public transportation has on our
economy is for every $1 spent on public transit, $4 is pumped back into the
economy. Returns like that are priceless.
For HART employees and customers in Hillsborough County,
these dollars could fund:
- Heavy Maintenance Facility - HART is
requesting $10 million to construct a new maintenance facility to replace the
existing maintenance building. The project would consist of a service area with
bus lifts and other heavy maintenance equipment, storm-water treatment, canopied
fuel island, wash facility, restrooms, break rooms, electronic shop, classrooms,
maintenance offices and support area. This new facility would support HART's
approach to modern, efficient transit maintenance service.
- HART MetroRapid BRT Study - HART's
Bus Rapid Transit design/engineering study of the Nebraska Avenue MetroRapid
corridor, the Fowler Avenue corridor, and the Florida Avenue corridor. FDOT has
dedicated $2.5 million in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to work
with HART and local stakeholders to fund a design/engineering study of these
important corridors. Enhancing MetroRapid to adopt many of the attributes of
BRT service will expand the potential market and increase the chances for a
Small Starts/grant for the East-West line. This project could potentially
qualify for the FTA Small Starts funding.
- TECO Line
Streetcar System Extension - The proposed extension would extend the existing 2.7-mile
streetcar line. The two preferred routes would travel an additional 1.3 miles
from E Whiting Street north to E Palm Avenue.This project would open up the
possibilities for further economic development and Transit-Oriented Development
(TOD) along the proposed line.
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HART requires a new, fully functional, state of the art
maintenance facility.
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The demand for transit growth in Hillsborough County is
evident - we see it monthly at our Board of Directors meetings as countless
numbers of residents and organizations approach us with requests for new and
expanded service. Customers want to experience shorter trip times, higher
frequency, fewer hassles while commuting; which are improvements HART recently
implemented during our Mission MAX system redesign.
If we want a modern, safe, reliable transit system, we need
to act now. The Tampa region deserves world-class infrastructure, and our
stakeholders deserve nothing less. Let's use our collective voice to
send a message to our elected leaders to close the infrastructure investment
gap and demand that sustainable, long-term funding for transit is a
priority.
