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HART considers new routes for New Tampa

 
New Tampa residents met with HART officials about a new express route proposed for the community. Photo by Jennifer Limae
New Tampa residents met with HART officials about a new express route proposed for the community. Photo by Jennifer Limae
Published March 30, 2018

NEW TAMPA — A public hearing was held by the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) Wednesday night at the New Tampa Regional Library to discuss the proposed new 275LX route serving Wesley Chapel, University area, Downtown Tampa and Tampa International Airport.

The proposal gives residents three options, all running on a seven day schedule from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. with a one hour frequency. Option 1 will run from Wiregrass Park-n-Ride to the Tampa International Airport; Option 2 will run from Wiregrass Park-n-Ride to the Marion Transit Center, and this option does not include an airport stop; and Option 3 will run from Wiregrass Park-n-Ride to the Tampa International Airport from Monday thru Friday with a shorter weekend route from Wiregrass Park-n-Ride to the University Area Transit Center.

According to HART, the 275LX route will be fully funded by utilizing the funds provided by the Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT) Urban Corridor grants and is renewable. The route will replace the existing 51LX.

The overall consensus from the community members at the hearing, and from comments on HART's social media channels, has been that this new route is long overdue. HART hopes to eliminate long waiting periods in between buses as it moves forward with the project.

Comments from the community will be used to decide between the three options and will be presented to the Finance and Audit Committee during their review in April. The new route is set to begin on July 1.

Members of the public who would like to submit their comments of the new 275LX route can contact HART Service Development by email at servdev@goHART.org or visit gohart.org.

Contact Jennifier Lima at hillsnews@tampabay.com.