http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media.aspx 10 News and Media One-hundred-and-five days of aggravation leading to rush-hour headaches, short tempers and horn honking are over, or at least for the most part, with the long-awaited opening of the Platt Street Bridge this morning. The $14 million renovation of the historic span over the lower Hillsborough River o... News and Media Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:30:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-platt-street-bridge-is-back-in-business.aspx Streetcar fares could drop to as low as 50 cents in a concept HART planners will study before next year's budget is finalized. Worried that Teco Line Streetcar fares might be too high to sustain ridership, planners for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority will look into the impact on th... News and Media Fri, 18 May 2012 11:19:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-hart-considers-streetcar-fares-as-low-as-50-cents.aspx One year has passed since anything of substance has been heard about countywide mass transit in Polk. Even then, the word was not favorable. The conclusion of a May 2011 meeting that included county commissioners, Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields and Winter Haven City Commissioner Nat Birdsong was, as Bir... News and Media Fri, 18 May 2012 11:16:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/lakeland-ledger-polk-mass-transit-good-effort-on-buses.aspx It has taken nearly 20 years, but the widening of Sumter Boulevard from Interstate 75 to Tamiami Trial is finally about to become a reality. It won't be cheap. North Port will need to borrow $10 million to pay for the final 1.67-mile section, from City Center Boulevard south to Heron Creek Bouleva... News and Media Fri, 18 May 2012 11:13:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/sarasota-herald-tribune-north-port-to-widen-sumter-boulevard.aspx The Citrus Connection on Tuesday dedicated a newly renovated building at its headquarters in honor of a slain bus driver. The building is named for Radiah Craft-Enzor, who was stabbed to death by her husband, Reginald Enzor, in front of her teenage son in 2011. The 36-year-old mother of four was a ... News and Media Fri, 18 May 2012 11:11:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/lakeland-ledger-citrus-connection-dedicates-headquarters.aspx Monday, at the Manatee Convention Center, the MPO hosted the US Hwy 41/301 Corridor/New Bridge Planning Charrette. Local elected officials, engineers, merchants and residents were invited to attend and weigh in on how the stretch of US 41/301, running from Bradenton through the City of Palmetto, mig... News and Media Fri, 18 May 2012 11:08:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/the-bradenton-times-us-41301-corridor-charrette-showcases-shared-visions.aspx A group of young professionals says not only can the Friendship Trail Bridge be saved, but it can be transformed into an iconic link between Hills­borough and Pinellas counties. Like groups before them, this one says it can preserve the pedestrian bridge in large part by raising millions in don... News and Media Wed, 09 May 2012 15:28:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-bay-times-group-proposes-transforming-friendship-trail-bridge-into-above-water-park.aspx A group that hopes to save the Friendship TrailBridge released its proposals Wednesday on how to fix the deteriorating spans of the iconic bridge and how to raise the money to reopen it to the public. Called "A Vision Beyond Demolition," the slick 70-page report seems to cover all the bas... News and Media Wed, 09 May 2012 15:27:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-supporters-propose-repairs-for-friendship-trailbridge.aspx As readers of CL know from our coverage of the Friendship Trail Bridge, Hillsborough County Commissioners were poised earlier this spring to spend $4.2 million to raze the once-popular recreational attraction. Then the bridge won a last-minute reprieve; a group of activists came forward in April to... News and Media Wed, 09 May 2012 15:25:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/creative-loafing-the-friendship-trail-bridge-can-be-saved.aspx Tom and Pat Kelly spent 22 years living what many people consider the American dream: They owned a four-bedroom home with a pool and a big yard in Turnersville, N.J. They traded that in to live near a train station. With two of their three children living on their own, the couple no longer wanted t... News and Media Wed, 09 May 2012 15:24:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/wall-street-journal-trading-in-the-big-backyard-for-a-train-station.aspx Dismayed that Orlando is getting billions of dollars for transportation projects while the Tampa Bay area lags far behind, local interests have sharpened their focus to set priorities to present to the area's legislative delegation next month. Representatives of the Tampa Bay Partnership and the Ta... News and Media Fri, 04 May 2012 10:32:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-transportation-groups-seek-a-unified-offense.aspx Manatee County officials will offer a "free ride day" on the county transit system on Thursday, April 19. The Manatee County Commission Tuesday approved the plan for "Try Transit Day," which called for free rides in an effort to shift commuters away from drive-alone travel. The... News and Media Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:58:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/bradenton-herald-try-transit-day-means-free-rides-in-manatee-county.aspx Holding the Republican National Convention in downtown Tampa could mean shutting down parts of the Selmon Crosstown Expressway – at least during key moments of the convention. Though details are far from settled, local officials confirmed they are researching how to detour traffic on at least... News and Media Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:54:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-rnc-could-force-selmon-crosstown-expressway-closure.aspx After losing a county-wide vote in 2010 to fund light rail in Hillsborough County, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has come up with a new idea to bring mass transit options to his city. Buckhorn wants Florida lawmakers to give municipalities the right to go to the voters for a sales tax referendum. Right ... News and Media Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:52:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/wusf-buckhorn-let-cities-vote-on-rail-tax.aspx Mayor Bob Buckhorn kicked off on Monday morning a project he said has eluded previous administrations: crafting a long-term vision for downtown and the gentrifying neighborhoods on its fringes. Buckhorn described the final result as "a blueprint for this community for the next 25 years." ... News and Media Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:51:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-tampa-cultivates-urban-core.aspx Tampa Bay will have to run over Gov. Rick Scott to join the 21st century and build a modern transit system. The governor's veto of a local bill tied to a proposed Pinellas project reflects his blind opposition to rail and apparent fear that voters might actually approve it. Pinellas should proceed w... News and Media Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:57:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-bay-times-editorial-scott-tries-to-sidetrack-pinellas-upgrades.aspx As gas prices continue to climb, more Tampa Bay residents are opting for the bus than ever, making some already standing-room-only routes even busier. Pinellas County had roughly 1.23 million riders for the month, surpassing all previous monthly ridership records, according to the Pinellas Suncoast... News and Media Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:03:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-bay-times-regional-bus-ridership-at-all-time-high-thanks-to-economy-gas-prices.aspx Two years after Hillsborough County residents turned down a sales tax referendum to support light rail, some Tampa City Council members favor giving Florida's large cities the power to hold their own sales tax votes. That power is reserved now only for counties — a factor that helped defeat t... News and Media Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:01:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-city-tax-could-pay-for-transit.aspx Tampa Tribune: State considers toll on Howard Frankland to build new span The Howard Frankland Bridge is an old, reliable and free route across the bay for tens of thousands of drivers in Tampa, St. Petersburg and beyond. But the Florida Department of Transportation has a long-range plan to replac... News and Media Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:59:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-state-considers-toll-on-howard-frankland-to-build-new-span.aspx City commissioners endorsed a recommended light rail route that affects Clearwater, Largo, the Gateway area, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg with a regional connection across Tampa Bay to Hillsborough County. Most Largo commissioners spoke in support of the alternative recommended Jan. 30 by the P... News and Media Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:41:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/largo-leader-largo-commission-supports-light-rail.aspx The state's top transportation official said Wednesday that the Howard Frankland Bridge may one day become a toll bridge as the state seeks more money to improve roadways. With gas tax revenue on the decline, the state will use tolls to fill a void in financing road projects, said Florida Departmen... News and Media Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:35:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-bay-times-howard-frankland-bridge-may-someday-become-toll-route-says-top-transit-official.aspx After two hours of wrangling, officials representing Manatee County and those from the City of Palmetto Tuesday agreed to try working together to expand Seventh Street East near the Manatee Convention Center. During a special meeting Tuesday, Palmetto Vice Mayor Brian Williams recounted more than a... News and Media Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:31:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/bradenton-herald-manatee-county-palmetto-officials-hope-to-work-together-on-road-project.aspx The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority wants Gov. Rick Scott to veto a state transportation bill that includes a requirement that HART and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority boards identify opportunities to merge. HART board members voted Monday to adopt a resolution that stated their op... News and Media Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:27:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-tribune-hart-asks-scott-to-veto-merger-bill.aspx The Manatee County Health Department has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the American Public Health Association. The grant was awarded through APHA’s The Power of Policy: Innovation to Improve Health, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Public H... News and Media Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:20:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/sarasota-herald-tribune-manatee-health-department-gets-40000-grant-for-safer-biking-and-walking.aspx Florida has the third highest urban population at 17,139,844, according to recent numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Tampa-St. Petersburg area has the highest population density, with 2,551.5 people per square mile and a population total of 2,441,770. The Sarasota-Bradenton area has the seco... News and Media Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:18:00 GMT http://www.tampabayontrack.org/news-media/tampa-bay-business-journal-florida-third-in-nation-for-urban-population.aspx