Westchase Area Road Improvements Included in Proposed County Budget

This week Hillsborough County officials began nailing down exactly which projects are essential and which are not in the 2013 proposed county budget.

The recommended budget totals $3.06 billion, including pay for county employees, utilities and five years of capital improvements. In all, capital improvement or building and construction project needs total more than $179.5 million.

In the capital improvement budget, $4.5 million has been budgeted to resurface 35 miles of roadway with a focus on high-traffic streets, $9 million for sidewalk projects, and $6.9 million in stormwater improvements.

Projects included in the 2013 proposed budget that affect Northwest Hillsborough, including Westchase, Keystone, Odessa, Town 'N Country and Citrus Park, are listed below. All projects are proposed and may or may not be included in the final budget, however county officials are considering cutting certain projects to meet budgetary needs. The public is encouraged to give their feedback about which projects they deem important.

Construction:

• Westchase Recreation Center gymnasium expansion.
• Town 'N Country Area Recreation Center gymnasium expansion. 

New and Improved Signalization Program:

• Sheldon Road and West Waters Avenue Intersection Improvement.
• West Hillsborough Avenue and Webb Road Intersection Improvement.

Road Improvements - these projects could be cut to meet budgetary needs:

• Gunn Highway and West Linebaugh Avenue Intersection Improvements - (Remove westbound left turn lane and add a westbound right turn lane, southbound right turn lane, and eastbound right turn lane.)
• Town 'N Country Town Center - (Paula and Ambassador Roads - Reconstruction of the roads to an urban typical section (curb and gutter, sidewalks) with on-street parking and a roundabout at the intersection of Paula and Ambassador. No bicycle lanes will be provided as these are local streets. Paula Drive, from Town 'N Country Boulevard east to Hanley, and Ambassador Road from Powhattan south to Hillsborough Avenue.)
• Linebaugh Avenue (Racetrack Road to Countryway) Road Improvements - (Widen 1.38 mile segment from 2 lane undivided to 4 lane divided roadway. Right-of-way for project currently exists allowing reduction in cost.)

Have your say about the budget. Public hearing budget meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 12, and Thursday, Sept. 20. Both hearings begin at 6 p.m. and will be held in the second floor board room of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa. Or send an e-mail to: hcbudget@hillsboroughcounty.org

Is there a project you'd like to see funded? Let us know about it in the comments section.